It took me ten minutes to figure out how to actually
answer questions using this feature... ah, the
learning curve. Again. Succeeded, though, so there.
Anyway, first question, cool! The answer is less cool,
I'm afraid. I have nothing new in the publishing
pipeline at this time. In general, I find my
work-in-progress to be too fragile to discuss during
its early stages except with my old trusted Beta
readers. Also, talking about things that are only in
the idea stage tends to generate reader expectations
that one risks disappointing. On the bright side, if I
do start talking about something, you probably have a
pretty good chance of actually seeing it someday.
The next thing up in the career-maintenance work queue
(which goes on independently of anything new) will
probably be helping prepare an edition of Sidelines:
Talks and Essays for print-on-demand, but first we
have to finish up The Spirit Ring, ditto.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
reviewing most of the books I've read lately here on
Goodreads, because, why not. GR makes it pretty easy. I
think you can look up my reviews in my "My Books"
section, or find them somewhere on my profile page. (It
may take some scrolling.) I've picked up so many
helpful reading tips from internet reviews, it seems
like a good thing to pay it back, or forward as the
case may be.
My reading has slowed down lately, due to some retinal
issues in my left eye that make lines of print look
somewhat like captchas. :( I can't read for as long as
I used to at a stretch till I find myself reading with
my left eye closed, which is generally my signal to put
the book down and go do something else for a while.
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, each book had something
special about it that made it worth the writing to me.
So it's an apples-vs.-oranges problem. That said,
Memory, A Civil Campaign, and The
Curse of Chalion are all right up there. (And
Paladin of Souls, and... you see the
problem.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldHm,
this is looking like the Frequently Asked Question,
here. I don't have any news about a next project at
this time. A return to Chalion is not ruled out, but I
don't have anything live going forward at present.
Lois McMaster
BujoldWow, of the dozen or so questions
I just found waiting for me on this feature (I should
perhaps check it more often), this one was about half
of them. Nothing is absolutely ruled out, but I don't
have anything in progress at this time.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
find I like best working with a character who has
complicated and interesting thoughts, an interior
landscape worth spending time in. It is increasingly
the same case for my chosen reading, too -- if I'm
going to be spending hours -- or, in the case of a book
I'm writing, months -- in this other headspace, I want
it to be a congenial one. This seems to work for both
fiction and nonfiction, interestingly. This quality is
also sometimes dubbed "voice", but I think there's far
more to it than just style. A quite complex headspace
can be expressed in plain language, but witty delivery
is very much a bonus. A character who offers dry wit
and humor that is sharp without being cruel along with
his or her insights is a special treat.
DerekThat makes
sense. That is the kind of character I love to
read as well, Miles being the obvious example but
with some of your other characters, such aThat makes sense. That is the kind
of character I love to read as well, Miles being
the obvious example but with some of your other
characters, such as Ivan, also standing out in
their own way. It is also a lot of fun when a
character like that meets someone so polar
opposite of them that they can't help but poke
fun, such as when Jim Butcher's Dresden meets up
with Hendricks, a hired thug with lots of muscle,
few brains, and absolutely no sense of humor. The
contrast in personalities makes the wit of the
main character stand out that much more....more Dec 22,
2014 01:18AM
MargaretThat
certainly suggests one reason you like Ben
Aaronovitch's Peter Grant books! :)That certainly suggests one reason
you like Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant books!
:)...more Dec 25,
2014 01:55PM
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
frequently answered question of the day, I see, with
slight variations. Nothing in the near future, no. Just
at present I appear to want to work on nothing
whatsoever, but presumably I will get through the
novelty of semi-retirement in due course, or get bored,
or a neuron will fire. Breath-holding
contraindicated.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
wouldn't want to be any of my characters. They have
terrible things happen to them, not to mention
to the people around them. I prefer a much more
peaceful existence.
DerekI remember
reading the transcript of an interview a couple
years ago... The interviewer asked where the
author found their inspiration, and the
authorI remember reading the transcript
of an interview a couple years ago... The
interviewer asked where the author found their
inspiration, and the author replied something
along the lines of "I just take a step back and
consider the worst possible thing that could
happen to my character right now, then do that."
Was that you?...more Dec 24,
2014 12:38PM
Lois BujoldDerek:
I've said things like that, but the emphasis
should be heard as "to THIS character" rather
than in general, the idea being that each
individualDerek: I've said things like that,
but the emphasis should be heard as "to THIS
character" rather than in general, the idea being
that each individual has a different worst
nightmare/great test. Trials should be
tailored.
This maxim has an unspoken codicil, "that they
can survive and learn from," else the story will
be cut too short.
Jonathan
PalfreyPenric is
about half my age, and he has Desdemona and
Nikys. He also has a series of problems that he
probably handles better than I would; but,
neverPenric is about half my age, and
he has Desdemona and Nikys. He also has a series
of problems that he probably handles better than
I would; but, nevertheless, I'd like to be
Penric....more Sep 08,
2022 11:43AM
Lois McMaster
BujoldOddly, I was thinking about this
earlier today, when contemplating my bookshelves and
their remaining space. (I currently have space on my
shelves due to a recent drastic culling.) The answer to
this question seems pretty much identical with a list
of my keepers, which tend to run by author. In no
particular order, Georgette Heyer, Jennifer Crusie,
Megan Whalen Turner, Terry Pratchett, Ben Aaronovitch,
the triple-headed Jayne Anne Krentz (she has two other
names she writes under.)
It's a rare and happy event when a new writer is added
to that stable. I've recently become a fan of science
writer Nick Lane, although his are more "feel-smart"
books than "feel-good" books.
Lois BujoldB E --
JAK as Amanda Quick, you might try Lie by
Moonlight or Wait Until Midnight. As
Jayne Castle, After Dark. As herself,
Light in Shadow or Trust MB E -- JAK as Amanda Quick, you
might try Lie by Moonlight or Wait
Until Midnight. As Jayne Castle, After
Dark. As herself, Light in Shadow or
Trust Me. After that, you'll have books-by
lists or that bottomless guide to popular
culture, Wikipedia.
Joanna
ChaplinA Civil
Campaign is one of my go-to I just need the
familiar again books. I tend to flip straight to
the Disastrous Dinner Party and then go along
froA Civil Campaign is one of my
go-to I just need the familiar again books. I
tend to flip straight to the Disastrous Dinner
Party and then go along from there. It's my
favorite of the series, although others have
their good points, too....more May 20,
2016 07:30AM
Of the older authors I read Back When, one standout is
Cordwainer Smith. I suspect an unusually high
percentage of his stuff may have aged well. Other names
to try -- and I haven't reread enough of them lately to
be sure about that aging-well/badly issue -- might be
Randall Garrett, Poul Anderson, Eric Frank Russell,
Zenna Henderson, Roger Zelazny, Daniel Keyes (only one
book -- Flowers for Algernon, but with a book
like that you only need one), James H. Schmitz and
Lloyd Biggle, Jr.
Jonathan
PalfreyI like
most of these, although I still haven't caught up
with Cordwainer Smith. Susan Price: I don't think
I've noticed racism in Eric Frank
Russell'sI like most of these, although I
still haven't caught up with Cordwainer Smith.
Susan Price: I don't think I've noticed racism in
Eric Frank Russell's fiction, but racism has been
a basic characteristic of humanity for most of
human history. Be thankful that it's starting to
change these days. If you can't take it in
fiction, stick to recent fiction and don't go
back....more Sep 08,
2022 11:54AM ·
flag
SteveI don't
recall racism in EFR's books; but the sexism is
quite noticeable. There are hardly any females
who propel plot action. But that is true of a
hI don't recall racism in
EFR's books; but the sexism is quite noticeable.
There are hardly any females who propel plot
action. But that is true of a high percentage of
early SF. Even Ursula LeGuin later looked back at
her own early work and called herself out on
unconscious sexism (specifically in *A Wizard of
Earthsea*). She made up for it, though, with the
even better later books in the series....more Oct 26,
2022 09:35AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldNo,
I don't. I don't have a lot of physical activities --
driving, chores, handwork -- that invite hands-free
listening, I am (now) part-deaf in one ear, I find oral
presentations slow compared to reading, and most of
all, I am a very visual processor with a very visual
memory. All of that works against listening. Although
if I were to acquire some hands-busy-brain-free routine
task, that could change. (I once had a friend who used
to work at a particularly stultifying data entry job
while listening to audiobooks, which I found
boggling.)
With my own books, it is pretty much impossible for any
narrator to exactly replicate the cadences and
intonations I have in my own mind, so that adds an
extra level of dissonance.
MarilynDon't
panic, but I play audio books when I drive. I
only listen to much read books that provide a
backgroud accompaniment. Otherwise I can get far
morDon't panic, but I play audio
books when I drive. I only listen to much read
books that provide a backgroud accompaniment.
Otherwise I can get far more lost in my own
head....more May 23,
2020 09:17AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyI have
briefly tried listening to audio books now and
then, but they all sound wrong to me. And yes,
they’re slow. Aug 01,
2023 02:08PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, a Caz prequel would be barred from a happy
ending, pretty much. And a Caz sequel would be,
inevitably, a lesser story than the one already
told.
One of the things I'd wanted from the Chalion series,
insofar as it has developed, was to get away from its
being stuck on one set of characters in one time and
place. I sort of want it to be able to shift around to
different times and countries and new people, and
perhaps different thematic and theological concerns.
This runs rather counter to the usual notions of
series, which work to attach the readers to particular
characters. I don't know when or if I'll ever follow
this scheme up, or out.
Diana@Chris At
least in the letter dy Ferrej received at the
beginning of Paladin, we found out that Caz and
Betriz had a little boy.... Jan 02,
2018 02:50PM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyAlthough
it was almost 6 years ago now and I'm coming in
late, I like K's reference to Pratchett in this
context. The late lamented Pterry created
pleAlthough it was almost 6 years ago
now and I'm coming in late, I like K's reference
to Pratchett in this context. The late lamented
Pterry created plenty of characters and
introduced new ones whenever he felt like it, but
still managed to bring characters back and give
us updates on them now and then. I don't really
need a new story to feature Old Character X in
large letters, but it would be nice for X to have
a walk-on part and a few lines, for old times'
sake. With the Pen & Des novellas, in particular,
it becomes a recurring sadness that so many
characters appear briefly in one novella and are
never seen again. However, I suppose an author's
creative process is a matter of inspiration, and
we have to be grateful for whatever it gives
us....more Nov 22,
2020 08:38AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nothing is promised, nothing is permanently ruled out.
(And nothing is in the pipeline.) But I don't foresee
anything happening with Chalion soon.
I have finally bit the bullet and switched from "rest"
to "exercise", in a carefully supervised manner. (The
Y, it turns out, will rent you a trainer for a
reasonable sum.) But that will take some time to pay
off.
Howard
BrazeeWhat kind
of exercise, with what specific goal? Dec 28,
2014 07:06AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldCore
strength, to spare the arthritic spine going
forward (which, being full of joints, turns out
is as subject to arthritis as hands and feet),
someCore strength, to spare the
arthritic spine going forward (which, being full
of joints, turns out is as subject to arthritis
as hands and feet), some upper body strength
training, as that part of me has about the muscle
tone of a mushroom. Alas, exercising is not a
task one can hire someone else to do for one.
(Well, yard work, but that only helps the
yard.)
AndrewActually
you can hire Thai masseuses to give you a
"passive yoga" massage, which is pretty close to
having them do the exercise for you. They'll
stretActually you can hire Thai
masseuses to give you a "passive yoga" massage,
which is pretty close to having them do the
exercise for you. They'll stretch, knead, and
walk all over you, literally. Your muscles will
feel it afterwards, especially if you've never
gotten a Thai massage before, or done
yoga....more Jan 01,
2015 10:48PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I did a few workshops early in my career, but in
general I find teaching pretty exhausting, so I duck
those gigs now. The thing about teaching is that one
needs to be able to cover rather more than what one
knows, according to the needs of the pupil.
As far as writing teaching goes, I usually direct
people on to Pat Wrede's blog, http://pcwrede.com/blog/
, or her collected-posts book Wrede on Writing.
She does this sort of thing so very well.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Oh, I have a bunch of fave anime. Paprika is
probably my favorite feature, though of course I also
like most of the Studio Ghibli offerings. Series
include but are not limited to Mushi-Shi,
Otogi Zoshi, The GokuSen,
Wallflower, Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi,
Antique Bakery, Junjo Romantica,
Mirage of Blaze, Shonen Onmyoji... As a
general rule I have no use for giant fighting robots in
any form, fighting samurai (Samurai Champloo
excepted), ultra-violence, grimdark, or horror, though
sufficiently Japanese folklore horror sometimes gets a
pass.
Since I am not an anime producer, adapting my work is
not up to me -- media adaptations are a buyer's market.
But I have long thought Falling Free would be
good in that medium.
No video games. I sampled Dragon Warrior and a
few others back in the 80s, and quickly realized that
if I got any further into this, my kids would die, my
house would burn down, and my nascent career would go
down the toilet. So I have missed the train on
gaming.
Jean LambWell, as a
recovering Tetris addict (and one who played
Dragon Warrior and other such games, including a
number of the Final Fantasy series), I hear
yWell, as a recovering Tetris
addict (and one who played Dragon Warrior and
other such games, including a number of the Final
Fantasy series), I hear you. Although my children
learned how to cook and do laundry fairly early
because of it, I think. Still, there's a reason
why I will *never* have Candy Crush on my
phone....more Feb 14,
2015 05:03PM
Elyse CadyTHIS IS MY
FAVORITE OF YOUR Q & As :) YAY ANIME! Mar 01,
2016 03:48PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nothing is promised, nothing is ruled out, but at
present those ideas don't spark anything for me.
Readers often ask for more of the same, but I think in
many cases that's not what they mean; what they are
really saying is, "Give me a story that will make me
feel the way that one did!" Which may actually be quite
a different thing, but is much harder to
articulate.
(Or, for all those fractal follow-ups, there's always
Fanficwoman. To the rescue!)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Mm, family is difficult. My parents passed away years
ago, my father when my career was only starting. From
one comment he made, I gathered that my adult content
was a bit dismaying to him; I think that somewhere in
his head, I was still twelve. My mother was not a
F&SF reader, so while the writing part seemed sort
of OK to her, the genre was not something to which she
related. "If you want to write, why not try writing for
the local paper?" she once inquired, when I was
bemoaning my early lack of progress. Leaving aside the
rural benightedness of The Marion Star, the
noncomprehension of this question seemed profound.
Only one of my brothers is a reader -- he does like my
stuff, and I think reading it has brought me into focus
as a human being for him, rather than a vague fuzzball
labeled "little sister". I gather he found this rather
unexpected. (He loved The Curse of Chalion.)
My kids, well, my children are rather opaque to me.
Cordelia's apparent maternal telepathy is the most
wish-fulfillment part of the character, from my point
of view. My daughter has read at least some of my work,
and we relate to each other as adults nowadays, or at
least I think we do. My son has never, as far as I
know, read any of my fiction. Not sure what to make of
that. (I wish he would, for just the reasons you name
above, but I can hardly make my books required
reading.)
My friends pretty much consist of folks who like my
stuff, because there is, after all, a selection process
at work there.
Daniel
UebeleJust read
your first book. You're obviously a terrific
mind, by the axiom that any character is a subset
of the author's internal armada. Absolutely
aJust read your first book.
You're obviously a terrific mind, by the axiom
that any character is a subset of the author's
internal armada. Absolutely admire you, it's a
bit tragic that your kids don't all get it, but
of course you've figured out how that all goes by
now. Legacy is a funny thing. If only the daisies
could appreciate it!...more Oct 23,
2022 01:44AM ·
flag
AbishekI’ve
read your chili on books and some penric books. I
just finished shards of honor. Absolutely loved
everything you’ve written. I cannot imagine
youI’ve read your chili on books and
some penric books. I just finished shards of
honor. Absolutely loved everything you’ve
written. I cannot imagine your son not wanting to
read your fiction! Maybe someday he will and your
wish will be fulfilled :)...more Jun 02,
2025 08:08PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't have any one source for that. It was more of a
lifetime accumulation of reading of all sorts, from
C.S. Lewis through The Confessions of St.
Augustine to a smattering of mystics from other
religions to biographies of saints (Ignatius Loyola was
fascinating) to accounts of 19th C. leper colonies.
Blenderize that with my biology and science education,
or at least pop science education, that gave me a
distaste for dualism, and strange things happen.
(Note that the gods of Chalion cannot really be called
celestial, as they are equally immanent at all
points.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I am not at present in the mood for war stories, and I
haven't done any short work for decades, so probably
not.
It seems good that the books "run off the sides of the
page" in all directions for readers, though. It
suggests that the tales are engaging people's minds and
imaginations, which is, after all, their job.
DanikaForget
Prince Xav, I want the true story behind Pierre
le Sanguinaire Vorrutyer and his wife! They're
the ones that make me want to dig through
Duv'sForget Prince Xav, I want the true
story behind Pierre le Sanguinaire Vorrutyer and
his wife! They're the ones that make me want to
dig through Duv's archives....more Jan 12,
2015 05:03AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
short answer is whining, lots of whining, but more
seriously, there is a certain inherent orneriness in
picking unusual plot shapes or protagonists, a kind of
low mutter of "I'll show them!" After the initial
set-up, I do have to write my way into my books scene
by scene, and let the story itself show me where it's
going and how it's going to get there. I don't know how
much suspense this creates for the readers, but it
certainly creates suspense for me.
So there isn't exactly a gap to bridge. There is
wanting, and there is doing. There really isn't an
in-between state that isn't just more wanting. (Or
whining.) "Planning" for me is diffuse, broken into
small bites and spread throughout the whole of the
doing.
In other words, at the working face I am never writing
a novel. I am writing, at most, a scene (and then
another, etc.) Or half a scene, or a paragraph, or
whatever functional unit I can actually hold in my
brain at one time.
But, certainly, there seems not much point in writing a
story just like everyone else's, because they've
already done that. I could just read theirs, for
a lot less trouble. (Which is not quite the same thing
as taking a trope or idea that delights me from the
genre cornucopia off to a corner to play with my
way. I certainly do that.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I was mainly drawing on already acquired background.
Keep in mind that Barrayar (or any other Nexus world)
has about as much resemblance to current Earth
countries as, say, modern Portland, Oregon has to 16th
C. England and Japan. I'm not writing contemporary or
historical fiction, here, just fiction informed -- or
flavored -- by history. You are setting yourself a
higher bar.
That said, assuming actual travel is out of your reach
(as it was mine), you need lots and lots of nonfiction
reading. You need both general overviews, to give you a
framework, and first-person contemporary accounts, to
find those telling details that all get filtered out of
general histories. Eyewitness writings become harder to
find the farther back in time one goes, but by the same
token, one is less likely to be overwhelmed by the
choices.
These days, you might also have the chance to get an
on-line test reader/friend from the country of interest
to Beta read for you. I know the fanfic community does
some of that.
And finally, it may be worthwhile to remember that one
has set out to tell a story, not write a PhD thesis.
Research is potentially endless and endlessly
seductive, but there comes a point when it's time to
railroad.
I actually think Shards would be much easier to
make into a feature film (that resembled the book --
not that Hollywood cares about that) than The
Warrior's Apprentice, which is the one people seem
to focus on. (Although the latter might go well as a TV
mini-series.) But movie rights are a buyer's market,
and there are very few legit,
actually-capable-of-making-a-film producers buying.
I also think Falling Free could make a splendid
animation or anime. But, as I am not a film producer
with access to hundreds of millions of dollars and a
couple-three decades of experience in the industry,
which is what it takes, it is not up to me.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, I'm not sure there is a short answer aside from I
Was A Lot Younger. I'm not going to write my
autobiography here in this little box, but some of that
period is touched on in my forwards and afterwords to
my Baen omnibus editions, which are now all collected
in Sidelines: Talks and Essays.
I'm not sure my guilt and time problems were any
different from those of any other working mother, but
the open and self-directed structure of writing makes
it a lot harder and more confusing for a family to
recognize as work -- even after one starts selling --
compared to a parent who goes out the door at 8 and
doesn't show up again till 5. On the other hand, it was
way more flexible -- I never had to beg a boss for time
off to deal with family emergencies or illness, I
didn't have to waste time on a commute, and the actual
core hours involved were usually fewer than 40 (or 50,
or 60) hours a week. On the downside, getting paid was
a rare and random event. "I must go to work this week
or I will be fired" is a lot more immediate an argument
than "I must go to work or I might not get paid next
year, maybe. Or perhaps the year after..." Especially
when one is mining the couch cushions for milk
money.
I actually developed my writing process in that
environment, by collecting extensive notes in little
bites over a period of days and then, when they reached
critical mass, hiring a babysitter or using time my
spouse was home to take my notebook (3-ring binder, not
laptop -- they weren't invented yet, and I couldn't
have afforded one even if they had been) to the public
library and do the core first drafting in short bursts.
Not for me a process where one sits in front of the
computer for hours wrestling for inspiration. Once I
had the first draft nailed to the page, I could bring
it back and transcribe and edit in the more chaotic
home environment, ditto any and all para-writing tasks.
Once both kids were in grade school, this whole
struggle went away -- school time was writing time. I
only sent a sick kid to school a couple of times... :-(
Summers, I went back to the old system, but since the
kids were indeed older it was all less fraught.
Note that this all got started because, in a rust-belt
town in the middle of a recession, I couldn't
get a day job. (If I had, I might not be here
today, so, whew for that.) How someone is to juggle a
day job, a family, and writing, I cannot advise
-- that's one more cat/chainsaw/burning torch than I
ever tried to keep in the air at once.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'm afraid those are doomed to stay throw-away lines,
along with the politician, the lighthouse, and the
trained cormorant.
I am now having a vision of an annex to L-Space,
somewhere, where all those unused characters and ideas
from the whole of literature sit around getting drunk
and complaining to each other about how they were
robbed of their rightful places in the spotlight...
ThatfondimpossibilityI love
it, a Discworld reference!
At least, I think it's a DIscworld reference.
Isn't it a DIscworld reference? Discworld (and
some of its characters)I love it, a Discworld
reference!
At least, I think it's a DIscworld reference.
Isn't it a DIscworld reference? Discworld (and
some of its characters) are a lot like the
Vorkosigan world: a long series with many
difference POVs and multi-book story archs.
No?...more Sep 25,
2015 08:53AM
Lara MillerOh, I
thought the assassination might have been Taura.
Simon didn't send Miles to assassinate her, but
her scientist creator did.Oh, I thought the assassination
might have been Taura. Simon didn't send Miles to
assassinate her, but her scientist creator
did....more May 31,
2020 10:07AM
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[My boyfriend and I are reading Shards of
Honor--him for the first time, me for the millionth. I
believe Dr. Mehta owes Cordelia an apology. Did she ever
get one? What was the reaction on Beta Colony anyway to
Cordelia and Aral's marriage? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
don't think Cordelia ever got an apology, but in due
course (after several years) her criminal charges got
ironed out, so she and her mother could exchange a few
visits. And, of course, so that Miles might make his
later visits, which he seems to have done
unexceptionably except for Bothari's assorted weapons
violations.
The general reaction to the marriage was at first
imaginatively negative; later, largely forgotten, as
such news kerfluffles tend to be. There might have been
the occasional article such as American women who marry
important foreigners sometimes get, but Cordelia would
not have cultivated such. (Someone on-staff might have
been managing such PR for her.)
Carol
Gray-ricciI do like
the comment about "Bothari's assorted weapons
violations. I get a wonderful mental picture of
Bothari standing in the middle of a pile of
weI do like the comment about
"Bothari's assorted weapons violations. I get a
wonderful mental picture of Bothari standing in
the middle of a pile of weapons with customs
officers scowling customs officers surrounding
him and Miles giving him an "I told you not to do
that again" expression on his face....more Feb 16,
2015 10:36PM ·
flag
JohnI picture
a routine request for a diplomatic passport for
"Kordelia Vorkosigan", possibly even written in
Cyrillic and left for the recipient to
transI picture a routine request for a
diplomatic passport for "Kordelia Vorkosigan",
possibly even written in Cyrillic and left for
the recipient to translate, being routinely
approved. When they check her identity at Customs
and Immigration they find out who she is, but the
bureaucratic mills grind slowly. The decision is
made to pretend they did that on purpose, and
besides there is a current scandal concerning the
chief of the department responsible for
correcting the criminally maladjusted. It seems
that he has been installing a compulsion to
donate every time an ad appears for the charity
of which he is the head.......more Feb 19,
2015 06:16AM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Just listening to Captain Vorpatril's
Alliance for the nth time. I do wonder... how did you
come up with the fate of Cockroach Central - and,
particularly, the engineering explanation for it? And did
you start with the desired result and reason backwards,
or start with the cause and follow it to the end?
Thank you for your time, should you choose to answer. :-)
(hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Some considerable amount of this question can be
answered by this:
which I'd read for general interest the summer, iirc,
before I wrote that section of the Ivan book.
It also has, in that weird way writers' brains work,
some inspiration in a climactic scene in an old Alec
Guinness movie titled The Horse's Mouth. It's
not a building that unexpectedly sinks, but the sort of
hidden-in-plain-sight setup is reminiscent.
But I did not actually come up with ImpSec HQ's fate
until I was almost at that scene in the writing. At the
time the Arquas discovered where the old lab now was, I
had no more idea than they did how they were to tunnel
for access. From reading all those WWII POW-camp
memoirs, I knew tunneling was not a trivial task, but
then I remembered I was writing science fiction, and
was not limited to 20th C. technology.
How the Mycoborer (tm) could go wrong in so many ways
was inspired somewhat by my niece Molly's colon cancer
awareness/teaching project, The Colossal Colon, which I
will leave you to Google. And from that point
on, the logical developments pretty much wrote
themselves.
So it was a complicated tangle of feedback loops from
many sources, not a single tidy logical string.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, that's not up to me; some maker of graphic novels
would have to ask to license it.
There was one such deal a few years back in French for
The Warrior's Apprentice, with Soliel, who were
going to do the book in three volumes. The first (which
I had thought was pretty good, art-wise) sold so badly,
they never did the following volumes.
Either my stories are hard to translate into visual
media, or the audience for same isn't much into stores
like mine. Or both. Although one data point is not a
proof, it was rather daunting. So I'm not holding my
breath.
Exactly. The same applies doubled for any visual
medium, such as movies or TV. Weirdly, the
less-internal, less popular stories of mine
would@ Derek:
Exactly. The same applies doubled for any visual
medium, such as movies or TV. Weirdly, the
less-internal, less popular stories of mine would
I think make the transition better. The Spirit
Ring cies out for the spiritual successor of
Ray Harryhausen, ferex.
JohnThe
comics artist I would love to see do
Cordelia/Miles is Jenn Manley Lee.
Unfortunately/fortunately, she has a full time
job with her own SF story.The comics artist I would love to
see do Cordelia/Miles is Jenn Manley Lee.
Unfortunately/fortunately, she has a full time
job with her own SF story. Here is a link to her
take on uterine replicators:
http://www.comic.dicebox.net/comic/ch......more Feb 19,
2015 06:39AM
Meredith
MansfieldOh! Add
Penric to that dinner table. Penric and Lord
Peter trying to out piffle each other would be
hilarious. Dec 08,
2022 06:45AM ·
flag
JerriI also
want to see Lord Peter interact with
Desdemona!
Time for some crossover fan fiction,
unfortunately I am not skilled enough to write
it. May 25,
2023 09:22AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
At this stage of my life, I think I'd pick somewhere
advanced with really good medical care. But probably
not Beta Colony, because I like the outdoors too much.
The less advanced planets, clearly, are easier to set
stories on -- more goes horribly wrong.
The place is littered with space stations -- every
advanced planet maintains them, civilian or military,
by their wormholes and in orbit, and sometimes for
several systems beyond. They all tend to be rather
alike, due to technological constraints -- even less
tolerance for things going wrong than downside. That
said, it seems to me I've featured a lot of them in the
tales -- Elli's home, Quaddiespace, the Hegen Hub, the
factory one Miles captures in WA, the one at the
climax of Komarr, a dozen transfer points in the
Miles stories. Mirror Dance starts on one,
CryoBurn ends on one... the list goes on.
Stations and ships do require highly self-controlled
populations. Planets, in addition to offering free air
and gravity and all that attractive space, have more
elbow room for erratic behavior.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I've never written any, but I've seen quite a few. In
addition to those seen earlier in my life, for several
years after I moved to Minneapolis, a friend and I had
season tickets to the Guthrie Theater, where we would
take in 6 a year of considerable variety. In addition,
I was a member of a (now defunct) play-reading group;
we ran through quite a lot of Shakespeare, among other
things. (Modern playwrights were more of a problem to
do due to variant or unavailable editions.)
Plays (as contrasted with TV and film, in which
everyone's brains are steeped) are interesting because
the dialogue must carry so much more of the
story-telling.
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Any chance that you'd write a short
story about the hostage situation Miles and the Dendarii
are sent to right after "Brother In Arms?" Or what about
Miles and Duv's second adventure that took place in
Komarr? It was mentioned in Memory, but I have no clue
what was involved. (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldNo
to the first question, maybe someday to the second. It
would want to be a novelette or novella, I think, but I
have no clue what was involved either. I'm not sure
what all it would need to keep it from becoming too
drearily political, yet still call for the combined
talents of both Miles and Duv.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
There was a movie offer back in the mid-1990s on The
Warrior's Apprentice, which went as far as a
script. The script was so dire, with less than zero
relationship to the original book, I was enormously
relieved when they didn't go on to make a movie from
it. That experience pretty much cured me of any desire
for a media adaptation.
Georgette Heyer never had a movie made from any of her
books, but in just two years she will be coming up on
100 years of her books being in continuous print, read
by millions over that time. I could be quite content
with a century-long career like that, even if didn't
live to see all of it.
Making a movie of Miles would be harder than it looks,
since so much of the important action and humor is
taking place inside his head, in his thoughts, not
visible to the outside observer, or to the camera.
I was a bit sorry that I'd given my universe such a
very 60s-Analog element, although in my defense I did
give it a non-magical physical substrate. ("There are
no effects without causes" and all that.) I'd have to
think of something different to do with a rather
well-worked-over trope.
(There was a good book by Rebecca (R. M.) Meluch that
did some pretty interesting things with a telepath...
can't recall the title offhand. It might have been
The Queen's Squadron or it might have been
another.... (quick Amazon check -- yeah, that was it.)
Downer ending, though. She does good work -- check out
her books.)
My current interests run more to comedy than to drama,
I confess. I think I'm also overdue for something
completely different, without a giant series backstory
to wrestle. Making the same text serve, simultaneously,
trufans who remember it all, occasional fans who have
read only some stories and remember it only dimly, and
brand-new readers who know nothing except what is on
the page in front of them right now, is... a tricky
balancing act. And yet late-series books can also
present other artistic opportunities that single novels
can't, so, go figure.
Cmorganusjuno.ComI
love the comedy! I still remember laughing out
loud when you discribe the butter bugs as having
the "aerodynamic quality of a brick" I am so
lookingI love the comedy! I still
remember laughing out loud when you discribe the
butter bugs as having the "aerodynamic quality of
a brick" I am so looking forward to you new
book!...more Jul 14,
2015 06:20PM ·
flag
Adger
WilliamsI want to
know the horrifying Ezar story! (on reflection,
perhaps I don't want to have to live through
whatever did that to him.)I want to know the horrifying Ezar
story! (on reflection, perhaps I don't want to
have to live through whatever did that to
him.)...more Nov 16,
2015 05:03AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I have nothing new going on with The Sharing Knife
universe at this time. I don't rule anything out,
because I've discovered my backbrain can ambush me
unexpectedly, but certainly nothing soon.
Dag and Fawn's tale feels told to me (and at great
length, too.) In general what I need to start a story,
and what I want to explore during the course of it, is
not a setting or an idea, but a character or
characters. Once I have the characters, well, the
question of "what ideas can challenge this person?"
brings things into line nicely.
This is rather the opposite of some classic SF tropes,
where the characters are got up to display the ideas.
The clearest example being where some random Redshirt
is sacrificed to demonstrate the capabilities of the
alien weapon; what's most important about the scene is
the weapon, not the person. This is also done on a much
larger scale and less obviously not just with alien
weapons, but with all sorts of things up to and
including political ideas. My brain does not seem to
work that way. So what I need to start a new project is
not an idea, but a person (one who, for whatever
reason, matters to me) to whom that idea will
matter.
RitaMakes
sense. I also find that if I don't like the
protagonists I cannot finish the book. Your books
all have fully fleshed out characters that I get
iMakes sense. I also find
that if I don't like the protagonists I cannot
finish the book. Your books all have fully
fleshed out characters that I get interested in
very quickly. Brava! :)...more Feb 22,
2015 05:36PM ·
flag
KateI would
settle for a short story about Sparkle but a
novel would be wonderful. Mar 23,
2015 10:54AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I am not sure what you mean by "quest star stories".
Every character is the center of their own universe,
and therefore every character has some story potential.
Some will be more interesting to me than others, but
then there follows the question, "Will this interest
sustain a whole novel?" Those are more rare. (Jo Walton
has dubbed this centering quality "protagonismus".)
There's also the matter of plot-character interlock, as
each creates the other. Some characters come with one
perfect plot, and when that tale is told, they're done,
ready to retire. Some more flexible characters can
sustain more than one plot or one kind of plot, and
from these sorts the writer can more readily squeeze a
series.
The most difficult thing with late-series books is
wrestling the backstory, even when it's cut down to
just the most immediately pertinent backstory. This was
pretty readily do-able when I just had 6 books; 16 is
more of a challenge. As I've said elsewhere, the exact
same text must be made to simultaneously serve the
dedicated fan who remembers everything, the occasional
reader whose familiarity with it all is dim, and the
new reader who can know nothing but what is on the page
now. Tricky stuff.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Technically, there are not multiple religions; there
are multiple heresies of one religion. Which can
certainly supply all the fun and games of any other
religious conflict, and more, as history shows.
The gods of Chalion are all about souls, and are
indifferent to politics as such. People who want to
conscript the gods to their side find this deeply
confusing at times.
What's really interesting to consider/speculate upon is
how a person might contrive to be an atheist in the
world of Chalion. People being people, I bet some
manage it.
AnnI imagine
that there are lots of people in the world of the
five gods who like the dowager Provincara are so
literal- and practical-minded that the goI imagine that there are lots of
people in the world of the five gods who like the
dowager Provincara are so literal- and
practical-minded that the gods cannot touch them
directly, and so they have the option of
believing or not....more Jul 17,
2019 06:37AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyThe gods
of that world show themselves to humans very
rarely, and I suppose the great majority of
people go through their whole lives without any
direThe gods of that world show
themselves to humans very rarely, and I suppose
the great majority of people go through their
whole lives without any direct evidence of their
existence. That being the case, atheism should be
quite feasible. Anyone who's seen a sorcerer in
action may feel inclined to believe in magic, but
you can believe in magic without believing in
gods. And even sorcerers seem rare enough that
there are people who've never seen one....more Jun 07,
2020 03:41PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The e-ARCS are a Baen Thing. They do it for selected
lead books, according to some calculation of their
own.
The e-ARCS have worked out just fine for me, so far.
One of the fringe benefits, I have found, is that we
get several hundred free proofreaders, to catch all
those little glitches that have escaped the editorial
net so far (and there are always some.) One must filter
out the things identified as mistakes which aren't, of
course, and there is inevitable duplication, but on the
whole I have found this beneficial.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It certainly is a distraction, but if I didn't have it,
I would just go looking for something else. I suppose I
needed something to replace all that computer
solitaire... (I finally had my son take the game off my
machine.)
If the writing is going well, it's not too hard to
ignore the distractions. If not, not.
There are physical limits in play as well -- only so
much eye and butt fatigue tolerated per day. One must
be aware of one's endurance and use one's limits
wisely. Or so I theorize...
The constant tug back to older works is a subtler
problem. I have that on the pro side as well, in the
editing and proofreading of new editions of older
material. I just spent the past two weeks going over
the files of books I'd written in 1983 and 1984,
bringing them up to my 2015 punctuation standards and
so on. This is not time I spent thinking up anything
new, so I suppose it adds up. (It was a pretty good way
to spend two weeks of a Minnesota February,
however.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
My direct-placement e-books are all currently available
in Kindle, iPad, and Nook versions. There is some doubt
among the people who help me with these things that
Kobo is a large enough vendor to be worthwhile; this
may change in future.
The old Fictionwise got bought out and eaten by Barnes
and Noble. So all those placements are long gone.
HarperCollins does seem to have my fantasy novels up in
the public library Overdrive system. I don't have a
clear idea about how that is working out. I would like
to get my direct placement e-books out on there as
well, but that is waiting on finding out more.
Erik
JacobsenI would
also add that I'm a Kobo reader. It helps that
they're the only eReader maker I'm aware of that
makes a waterproof device--essential if you
reI would also add that I'm a
Kobo reader. It helps that they're the only
eReader maker I'm aware of that makes a
waterproof device--essential if you read in the
bath out at the pool. Also, they honour Bayen's
commitment to DRM free and only FROM their ebooks
if required to do so by the publisher. For
example, David Webers books on Kobo are all drm
free....more Mar 06,
2016 09:25AM ·
flag
ChristineCount me
in as another Kobo eReader. Jul 02,
2016 06:18AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
That's not up to me. Some competent filmmaker would
have to license the rights and produce the film, and
there are none on my horizon at present.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
There are no forbidden questions as such, though some
may get more satisfactory answers than others.
I am not working on a new series at this time.
Should I have anything new to announce (winters in
Minnesota are long, dark, cold, and conducive to indoor
activities, after all), I would make a blog post.
However, as I am not one of those people who counts up
their clicks (why, for pity's sake?), I'm not much into
teasing. If there is something firm to say, I'll just
say it.
Jonathan
PalfreyI just
came across this old question, and it makes me
smile. The Vorkosigan series created so many
characters that it became a bit difficult to
remembI just came across this old
question, and it makes me smile. The Vorkosigan
series created so many characters that it became
a bit difficult to remember who all of them were
and how they related to each other. And by now
the Penric series has also created quite a lot of
characters, although not all of them hang around.
Penric's travels are quite useful here. We may
wonder what happened to the people he met in
Lodi, but he doesn't live in Lodi any more, so he
doesn't see them, and you don't feel you have to
mention them....more Feb 07,
2022 11:39PM ·
flag
Derek KnoxHow about
this, Miles is busy becoming Count, Cordelia
wants to get away for a while, so she go
traveling with Mark and Kareen. One of his
financial sHow about this, Miles is busy
becoming Count, Cordelia wants to get away for a
while, so she go traveling with Mark and Kareen.
One of his financial schemes falls apart, and
Mark vanishes. Leaving Cordelia and Kareen having
to pick apart his schemes and figure out who has
him and rescue him, (maybe with some off the
books muscle from Quinn and the mercs). Thinking
more con, than gun blazing daring-do. 8-D...more Mar 17,
2015 05:41PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Aside from improving the copy-editing, no. I figure
those books were written by that Lois, then; they
belong to her, and I shouldn't go messing about with
them. They say that in 20 years even one's bones
replace themselves. I think the 2015 Lois would be
better off spending the time writing something new than
in diving down that endlessly extending rabbit hole.
(Because, of course, ten years from now I would have
yet another perspective, etc.) Also, Han shot
first.
Or, of course, I could spend more time goofing off. I
am very behind on my goofing off, I figure.
Susan PriceWe Prices
love whatever you choose to write, but yes, you
have certainly earned some goofing off time, too.
Whatever you choose, enjoy! Mar 16,
2015 09:59AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Cool vid, but the most intriguing part is not shown,
which is the 3-D printer. I'm really looking forward to
seeing what happens with that technology.
Not sure what this has to do with a hypothetical Miles
movie, though. Downey himself is too old to play Miles,
alas.
SandyDowney's
voice isn't low and gruff and hesitant enough for
Miles (at least not when he's unsure or has to
tone it down.)Downey's voice isn't low and gruff
and hesitant enough for Miles (at least not when
he's unsure or has to tone it down.)...more May 30,
2015 10:09AM ·
flag
Michael
BernsteinAs 'TRON:
Legacy' has shown, it is now possible with CGI to
use a younger version of an actor, so don't write
off RDJ for the role just yet!As 'TRON: Legacy' has shown, it is
now possible with CGI to use a younger version of
an actor, so don't write off RDJ for the role
just yet!...more Oct 23,
2015 04:21PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I pronounce Tej with a soft J like "Bujold". ;-) More
that soft French J than the harder sound of edge or
ledge. I'm trying to think of an English word that has
that sound... I'm sure there must be one, but I'm
blanking on it right this moment. Bon jour and all
that.
Alex
ShruggedHow to
pronounce the "J" sound varies across languages.
In normal Hebrew it is not possible to say
"Joanna" with that hard-G sound. It is more like
YoHow to pronounce the "J"
sound varies across languages. In normal Hebrew
it is not possible to say "Joanna" with that
hard-G sound. It is more like Yohanna....more Nov 03,
2018 10:35PM
VirginiaThe soft
j sound abounds, but may not be spelled with a j.
Like lingerie, measure, erosion,
seizure. Mar 09,
2024 07:32AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I've always thought Aral worked better as a character
by not giving his viewpoint. He has this enormous
gravity, that everyone else revolves around; it would
all look very different from his angle of view.
I don't at present envision going back in time for a
tale, but one never knows.
Woman Who
WeavesAral
Vorkosigan has always reminded me very much of my
own father. Watching others rotate about him was
fun. I knew him in a very different way,
muchAral Vorkosigan has always
reminded me very much of my own father. Watching
others rotate about him was fun. I knew him in a
very different way, much as Miles knows his Da as
different from the Lord Regent....more Jun 02,
2015 02:21PM
This
question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[The ending of Cryoburn was brilliant +
beautiful + heartbreaking. I was intrigued by the closing
lines that link back to Shards of Honor and imply that
Cordelia has come to embrace the Barrayaran concept that
sometimes life is not worth living. I felt this
intensifies and complicates the series' message of
disability rights. Does this reflect a change in your own
philosophy or were you always planning to end there?
(hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, Cordelia has had 40 more years of complicated
living and observation by then. She is also at that
moment about as emotionally exhausted as it is possible
for a person to be. Cordelia's thoughts represent
Cordelia, not a platform for the author.
I had planned to end the book upon the words,
"Count Vorkosigan sir?" But the epilogue presented
itself to my brain over about a two-day period during
my revision stage, sluicing through at white heat from
wherever such things come from. Confluence,
compounding, confounding, all of those; but not
planning in the sense this question posits.
That said, I have had since I wrote Shards a lot
more experience, both directly and through watching
friends and relatives up close, with those end-of-life
issues that cluster around the body outliving the mind.
(And I'd had considerable observation before then, as a
hospital worker.) When I was 15 and first read the
appendix to The Lord of the Rings that recounts
the death of Aragorn, I did not understand it, and
resisted it fiercely in a fanficcish sort of way, right
along with Arwen. I don't argue with it now.
If anyone else does, feel free to chip in. I'm not sure
if the Spanish branch of Amazon would be a help, since
it does not meet the criteria "in the States".
Most of my books have been published in Spanish at one
time or another, but I suspect most are long out of
print.
Michawl
DolbearFor the
Spanish branch of Amazon just navigate to
Amazon.es It's laid out just like all the other
Amazons, so you can search the Kindle store
(TiendaFor the Spanish branch of Amazon
just navigate to Amazon.es It's laid out just
like all the other Amazons, so you can search the
Kindle store (Tienda Kindle) even if only Spanish
residents can buy.
If you find an ebook there which isn't on your
Amazon, email the publishers who can add it
there...more Jan 27,
2016 06:10PM ·
flag
CarolynI
have ordered French versions from amazon.fr. The
first place I'd try is amazon.esI have ordered French versions
from amazon.fr. The first place I'd try is
amazon.es...more Feb 19,
2017 05:26AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
My brain is pretty quiescent just at the moment, having
just come off a book project that took (with assorted
interruptions) three times longer than usual, and with
the final edit still to go. I think the next thing on
my agenda is a few more bites of semi-retirement. Plus
some fresh reading and watching, and then there's the
Minnesota summer to enjoy which, after the Minnesota
winter, one is due. After that, who knows? Certainly
not me.
So glad you liked The Sharing Knife! That one tends to
get short shrift sometimes.
StephenDo
you ever get back to Columbus Ohio?
Do you still have connections here?
I personally thing they should name a library
here after you. I sent a letterDo you ever get back to Columbus
Ohio?
Do you still have connections here?
I personally thing they should name a library
here after you. I sent a letter to the Columbus
Public library that the next library built should
have a science fiction theme and be named after
you....more Mar 30,
2015 10:39AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I envision them as like military cadet tunics --
jackets with high round collars, variously fastened.
One can see the style in a lot of anime boys'
high-school uniforms as well. (I was just rewatching
xxxHolic -- there's an example.) Also Nehru jackets. In
short, I am using the two terms almost
interchangeably.
Woman Who
WeavesI see
tunics as coming to the top of the thigh, and
jackets as stopping at the waist. Thu the
mercenaries look like Hogan in Hogan's Heroes and
the BaI see tunics as coming to the top
of the thigh, and jackets as stopping at the
waist. Thu the mercenaries look like Hogan in
Hogan's Heroes and the Barayarrans look like West
Point cadets done over in green. The dress
uniforms in my mind look more like British Life
Guards....more Jun 02,
2015 02:31PM
I've been mulling over when to say more. I'm thinking
late fall, just before the eARC becomes available, but
I'll probably break down and say some things
sooner.
I figure if I give you all very much information,
you'll all race ahead and make up the book in your
heads yourselves, and then be artificially nonplussed,
later, when the book I wrote doesn't match the one/s
you've envisioned. If a reader has less time between
learning about a book and reading it -- picking it up
cold in a store, say -- there is less chance for that
phenomenon to develop.
It is not a war story; it is about grownups; it is not
grimdark but still embeds some serious themes. It is
science fiction. I expect reader response to be all
over the map, because it always is.
Some readers will love it (I say this with some
confidence, because some already have), some will hate
it, and there will be approximately ten thousand
reviews that go, "This wasn't the book I wanted! Here,
let me give you this 500 word outline of outline what
she should have written..." Each one different
from all the others, of course. (That one's a
sucker-bet.)
What say you all? How much information to you actually
want to get, in advance?
I've pretty much given up on the idea of cover art as
illustration. Thematic covers would be OK, if one could
come up with iconic images that represent the theme or
tone of the book.
CelticIs it
something you could fix when new editions are
being published? It would be great to pick up
copies of your books knowing you were happy with
theIs it something you could
fix when new editions are being published? It
would be great to pick up copies of your books
knowing you were happy with the way the cover
represented your writing. You deserve that from
your publishers by now surely?...more Apr 13,
2015 03:52AM ·
flag
Robin SeinaI
have always liked style of czech covers of
Vorkosigan saga. I also don´t think that they
rely on this observation XD.
You can look at covers here:
htI have always liked style of czech
covers of Vorkosigan saga. I also don´t think
that they rely on this observation XD.
You can look at covers here:
http://www.talpress.cz/shop/katalog/3......more Apr 14,
2015 01:35PM ·
flag
Although not, it must be said, all at the same time. I
pick and choose from all that I know/have done/have
read according to the needs of the story at hand.
Insofar as the stories are not all alike, neither are
their sources. (I think what makes this question so
hard to answer may be the "consistently" part.)
Also note that jumping off from this substrate of "the
entire contents of my head" to a story involves a whole
lot of transformations, amalgams, cross-linkages, and
other meta-games as a natural part of creativity.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I have never had a broken bone, no. I've had a few
other minor injuries over time, or things like wisdom
teeth removed etc., but not even any major surgery till
a few years ago.
I don't think "serving her time" is a correct way to
think of her, as she was never jailed. She got away
with a remnant of Randall's Rangers; how long she held
them together afterward is another open question, but I
suspect not long. If nothing else she'd have had to
abandon them so as to be less findable by Cetagandan
hit squads. Whether she finally managed to evade them
is another unanswered question. If not, she no longer
exists as a potential plot generator. If so, she'd
still want to stay as far away from that quadrant of
the Nexus that contains both Barrayar and Cetaganda as
possible. She's pretty twisty, but I don't think she's
into the sort of deranged revenge as an end in itself
that could cost her more than she stood to gain.
Not that she would turn up her nose at any revenge that
came along as a bonus side effect of other efforts. But
it wouldn't be a goal.
She was obviously an adrenaline junkie, or she wouldn't
have been in the line of work in which we first
encountered her. While she'd doubtless have less of
that as she aged, her post-Vor Game employment
could go to either legitimate or non-legitimate
enterprises, as long as she saw profit in it for
her.
Another open question is how much she learned from her
Hegen Hub experiences, and what-all she identified,
once she calmed down, as "That was a mistake -- let's
not do that again."
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I think they did manage to catch the queen again, but a
few stray liveried worker bugs would still be turning
up here and there for a long time after the events of
A Civil Campaign. Possibly as far as a few
blocks away. Given that the bugs are clearly labeled, I
can see random persons returning them to VK House for
the reward if they could catch them... or generating
interesting paranoid rumors about them if they
couldn't.
Miles would not be much inclined to laugh till after
the dividends from assorted bug enterprises started to
come in. These would do quite a bit to soothe him in
due course. The Armsmen, well... 20 guys, 20 possible
responses, so you have a range of possibilities there.
Possibly also pegged to who invested early and who
didn't.
The surname is "Bujold", and my books should be listed
under the Bs.
McMaster is my maiden name, which I use as my middle
name. So there should be no hyphens, either. Both
stores and libraries, as well as readers, sometimes get
confused about this, unfortunately.
(I sometimes wish, as I am sitting there writing my
tripartite name over and over at book signings, that I
had gone with the shorter "Lois McMaster" as my writing
name, but it is too late now to change. At least Bujold
appears higher in any alphabetic list, which can't hurt
for visibility.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Caz came first, and hung around in limbo for rather a
long time till his setting, with a lot of
pre-fabricated plot elements, arrived in the form of
15th C. Spanish court history. The idea of the curse
slotted in subsequently -- I mean, a curse would
explain so much about the real historical place
and period...
The proto-Caz might have alighted in some other country
of the era, as I was especially interested in that
cadre of men who rose from the middle classes to become
the right hands of assorted kings and queens and
wrangle the transition from medieval realms to more
modern styles of nation-states. Walsingham, Cisneros,
Richelieu, the ill-fated David Riccio, etc.
In general, potential ideas or settings don't do much
for me till an interesting character arrives. Only then
does a story come alive.
Celtic"I was
especially interested in that cadre of men who
rose from the middle classes to become the right
hands of assorted kings and queens and
wrangle"I was especially interested in
that cadre of men who rose from the middle
classes to become the right hands of assorted
kings and queens and wrangle the transition from
medieval realms to more modern styles of
nation-states."
Have you read Hillary Mantel's 'Wolf Hall'? The
BBC adaptation is good but the book is better;
much richer....more Apr 22,
2015 12:48PM ·
flag
Lois BujoldI keep
hearing good things about Wolf Hall. I am
not up for anything quite so dense, chewy, and
dire just at present, but it's certainly on my
"somedaI keep hearing good things about
Wolf Hall. I am not up for anything quite
so dense, chewy, and dire just at present, but
it's certainly on my "someday when I feel more
ambitious" list.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
If we had a viable, legitimate offer, sure. It's a
buyer's market, though. Very few production companies
are up to creating such a media series -- it takes a
barge-load of money and highly experienced people --
and they have a million books to choose from.
I had one feature film offer about, good grief, twenty
years ago now, which went as far as a script, which was
unfortunately dire. It pretty much cured me of any
excitement or hope about the process, I'm afraid.
There would likely be a better chance of more of the
actual book making it onto the small screen than the
big one. Although Falling Free (animation!) or
Shards of Honor might actually work better for a
feature film than the Miles tales, as they are shorter
and more self-contained.
Cmorganusjuno.ComMiles
rescuing Taura would make a great movie. (funny,
I always kinda thought of Micheal J Fox as
Miles) Aug 24,
2015 06:19PM ·
flag
Michael
BernsteinFalling
Free would make a *great* feature-length film,
and it could easily be live action with CGI for
the lower set of hands... Oct 23,
2015 03:36PM ·
flag
Many of my secondary characters could have whole books
of their own, but there is only one of me. (And no, I'm
not interested in farming things out, sorry.)
SeanI'm glad
you still go for quality in the present/future,
as we have plenty of preceding quality to
re-read. ...and some works couldn't be done
justiceI'm glad you still go for quality
in the present/future, as we have plenty of
preceding quality to re-read. ...and some works
couldn't be done justice to with other authors-
yours among them....more May 06,
2015 09:32AM ·
flag
Susan PriceArguably,
the Vor Game is as much Gregor's story as
Miles's.Arguably, the Vor Game is as much
Gregor's story as Miles's....more May 18,
2020 05:26AM ·
flag
Indeed, I never pictured my own stories' ships moving
through Nexus normal space using reaction mass of any
kind. Gravitational rowing, for all I know, but not
spitting stuff out the back end at high velocity.
So many problems with the physics of that.
(Yes, I know "fuel" gets mentioned, because one can't
get something for nothing, not to mention "thrusters",
but one should not be picturing chemical
combustants.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I am told that my books were, at least at one time,
among those available in the ISS e-library.
Making my work read on all seven continents and in
outer space, which seems a very fine boast to me. (I
once had a fan send me a snap of a couple of my titles
from a base library in Antarctica.)
ChrisWasn't
that at McMurdo base on the coast (IIRC)? Still
Antarctica of course. You have also been read at
the geographic South Pole (Scott-Amundsen
StatWasn't that at McMurdo base on the
coast (IIRC)? Still Antarctica of course. You
have also been read at the geographic South Pole
(Scott-Amundsen Station), in the middle of the
Polar winter, by my brother. I may have posted
about this already back in 2008 so apologies if
I'm repeating myself!...more May 13,
2015 05:24AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I have been very much reducing my convention attendance
and other PR obligations -- that's a big part of the
semi in my semi-retired. So, probably not.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, I'll be around Minneapolis from time to time. But
there is nothing else in my schedule at the moment.
(Nor am I looking for anything to be.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, your first speculation is not wrong, but, taking
them as an undetermined box in which anything might be
happening as long as it didn't impinge on Cordelia's
then-frame-of-view, I would expect, with 8 or 9 men,
several possibilities. Any who were known loyalists to
Aral would have been put under arrest, if Vordarian
could catch them before they went underground. One or
more could have died resisting or defying arrest. Any
he could suborn, he would have. Fence-sitters would
have found plausible bolt-holes, but not have been
trusted by Aral afterward, and would have been
encouraged to retire.
Vordarian didn't have long enough as emperor to appoint
his own stable, I'm afraid. Luckily for them.
Moira-jiAh, I was
wondering if the commodified cryonics contract
scheme was perhaps inspired by Gogol's Dead
Souls. Great minds just think alike, it
appears!Ah, I was wondering if the
commodified cryonics contract scheme was perhaps
inspired by Gogol's Dead Souls. Great minds just
think alike, it appears!...more May 13,
2015 05:18PM ·
flag
Lois BujoldNo, in a
very loose way it came in part from reading
The Smartest Men in the Room. And in part
from decades of other more direct human
observation. (WNo, in a very loose way it came in
part from reading The Smartest Men in the
Room. And in part from decades of other more
direct human observation. (Which, I suppose,
Gogol also had.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, The Curse of Chalion
was written on-spec, conceived as a stand-alone, and
finished before I ever offered it to a publisher. So I
don't think I was thinking of an Ista-book before then,
even though that last scene does seem to be a
promissory note in retrospect. However, HarperCollins
wanted a three-book contract (which we cut down to two,
because I had become skittish about mortgaging my
future -- remember, an advance for an unwritten book is
not income, an advance is a debt, which must be worked
off), so I had this big blank spot to fill. My
obligation was just for "a fantasy novel", content
unspecified.
I do remember describing my initial ideas for Ista to
my HC editor Jen Brehl at one of the Worldcons (?),
sitting on tall stools at some trendy cafe, and getting
the usual nonplussed look I get from editors when I try
to describe my initial ideas. I remember much the same
look on Jim Baen's face over dinner at Philcon '89,
when I was first describing Barrayar. They seem
to get over it by the time I turn in the manuscript,
though, so that look of vague editorial dismay doesn't
counter-alarm me anymore.
The book still took some developing. It was competing
for my attention with what became Diplomatic
Immunity, as by the concatenation of circumstances
I had ended up with contracts from two different
publishers for unwritten books, and each was blocking
progress on the other, which was when I discovered that
I am really not a writer who can work on multiple
projects at the same time. After nine months of
fretting I eventually set Ista aside to concentrate on
DI first, and things started to move again. Once
the book for Baen was bagged, I was able to give Ista
my total attention. Happily, during the intervening
year some new ideas slotted into place, filling out the
scheme, so the extra gestation time was all to the
good.
(PS, Persons who want to send brief personal messages
can also do so through Goodreads' own message/e-mail
system. So far, I've only used mine to answer, not to
initiate, but it doesn't seem to be too opaque, though
it may have other quirks of which I am still
unaware.)
Pamela EngWe named
our dog Laisa. She is about three years old now,
and is a very sweet dog. I also LOVE your books,
especially the Vorkosigan saga. I just
finiWe named our dog Laisa. She is
about three years old now, and is a very sweet
dog. I also LOVE your books, especially the
Vorkosigan saga. I just finished re-reading
Shards of Honor for the nth time....more Dec 09,
2015 01:11PM ·
flag
Bob Irwinas far as
a book on Mark... lets just say I agree with Elli
Quinn. Oct 20,
2015 11:32AM ·
flag
Susan PriceI
will eagerly purchase anything you write ... so
just take care of yourself and write as you feel
led/compelled by the characters! Dec 23,
2015 06:41AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, he was. One of them, at any rate -- very seldom
does inspiration have only one source. (The young
Winston Churchill also has a foot in there,
somewhere.)
The movie came out when I was a teen; I followed up
with a lot of reading about the man himself including
that memoir, which was a deal more complex and a bit
beyond what my shallow teen brain could process, but I
suppose the stretch was good for it. My understanding
grew better as I grew older and learned more, both
about the period of history and people generally. It
has been some decades since I revisited Seven
Pillars; it would be interesting to reread it again
now and see how much it has changed, including in light
of a half-century more of history unfolding. :-)
Also interesting, if you can find a copy, is Lawrence's
The Mint. A tinge of that went into Camp
Permafrost, in an oblique sort of way.
MariaThe Mint is
on its way to me in the mail. My impression of
Seven Pillars is that Lawrence was the ultimate
Fixer: well traveled, well educated, a
smooThe Mint is on its way to me
in the mail. My impression of Seven Pillars is
that Lawrence was the ultimate Fixer: well
traveled, well educated, a smooth talker (in 3
languages, no less), and enormously capable. But
very young for the responsibility he took on.
(Much like Miles in that regard.)
Historically, Seven Pillars gives a fantastic
view of what the Middle East was like 100 years
ago, but I thiink it's best to read a general
history of that time first. I recently read Scott
Anderson's book, Lawrence in Arabia, whch came
out last year, and thought it was a good
introduction to how the borders of the modern
Middle East were drawn after WWI.
Thanks for the response!...more May 24,
2015 11:43AM ·
flag
SarahI guess
that partly explains why I love your books so
much. I too read Seven Pillars of Wisdom at far
too young an age because I was fascinated by
TEI guess that partly explains
why I love your books so much. I too read Seven
Pillars of Wisdom at far too young an age because
I was fascinated by TE Lawrence. I think 9th
grade? Not sure I understood much, though I'm not
sure I'd understand it very well now that I'm in
my 30s either! Miles is much more
approachable!...more May 25,
2015 01:16PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Hm, I'm going to have to throw this one open to other
GR participants to answer. I don't have one up my
sleeve. Wikipedia might have something.
My own usual list is internal-chronological, here:
One can usually find first publication/copyright dates
on the back of the title page in a paper book, though
the omnibus editions and magazine publications
sometimes confuse that. I'm not sure there is a set
standard placement of such matter for e-books.
CarolHaving
found that Good Reads includes numbering in the
titles, and that it's mostly by publication
order, I have been reading in that order. Nearly
doHaving found that Good Reads
includes numbering in the titles, and that it's
mostly by publication order, I have been reading
in that order. Nearly done now, and I have
concluded that reading in that way is a good idea
if you start back in the 70's. Otherwise, the
internal order is best until you reach the recent
past where Cryoburn gets read before Captain
Vorpatril only because the latter hadn't been
published when you got your hands on the
former....more Dec 01,
2015 06:32AM ·
flag
LindamarieIn the
later books, Ivan seems like a much more
intelligent Bertie Wooster -- getting into
trouble for being a preux chevalier. How many
times did BerIn the later books, Ivan seems
like a much more intelligent Bertie Wooster --
getting into trouble for being a preux chevalier.
How many times did Berties get engaged to save a
girl with more curves than a scenic railway a
spot of bother? It could be argued that Ivan too
is always reliable to help a chum, relative or
young lady in distress....more May 26,
2015 06:04PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, I'm afraid I haven't read this writer, although her
name sounds dimly recognizable (I won't say familiar).
Wikipedia, I see, has no entry for her. I find a Judith
O'Reilly mentioned on Amazon, evidently a British
writer -- same one?
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I can't say as I've thought much about bucket lists.
One of my long-time ambitions was realized when
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance made the real
NYTimes bestseller list, what gets shorthanded as the
Big List -- my later books had tapped the extended list
enough times by then to make me think it possible and
not a pipe dream.
Regrets, I think, are not bucket-list material. "I wish
I'd done X differently in 1969," and the like. Also
dangerous; if one could go back and change things, one
might risk arriving at a less satisfactory outcome in
the long run. Other things tend to be not under
anyone's control, such as, "I wish my spine would stop
having arthritic deterioration." Death would halt such
declines, I suppose, but it's not a solution I favor.
Be careful what you wish for and all that.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, of course. I was probably driven through most of
them by economic pressures that were indifferent to my
feelings.
"Changing the world" or even "changing the world of
science fiction" was never my goal, fortunately. "Not
getting my utilities cut off for nonpayment of bills"
was. That, happily, turned out to be a more feasible
aim.
It is the nature of the book market that one cannot be
financially successful without also being well-known,
one's name being one's brand-name, more or less. Which
is felt to be the means and which the end will vary
from writer to writer, natch. And whether one really
needs "rich and famous" or if "self-supporting and
well-known in my field" will do. Beware those moving
goalposts, which can always make one feel artificially
bad.
"How high is up?" is one of those dangerous questions
that each writer must answer for themselves. Setting
goals unrealistically high guarantees frustration, too
low risks not challenging oneself to do as well as one
otherwise might. (As a rule of thumb, it is also better
to focus on what you can do, and not on other people's
non-controllable responses. "Finish a book" is
controllable, "sell a book" less so, "become a
bestseller or win an award" still less so. Unhappy is
the writer who boards this train wrong way round.)
As for time, it passes at exactly the same rate for
everyone, regardless of how one chooses to apportion
it. It's all choices and tradeoffs. Some prices might
really be too high, some rewards too meager; only the
person who is leading that life can decide.
That said, when I contemplate the ever-upthrusting
mountain range of reading matter in the world,
effectively infinitely more than I could ever read in
my remaining lifetime, I do sometimes wonder why on
earth I'm trying to make more, yeah -- if that were my
only motivation. Except that writing is in itself an
intrinsic pleasure for me, if a weird one -- I
sometimes wonder if writing fiction ought to be
classified as a dissociative disorder. So I would
likely still be making up stories even if no one else
wanted them, only with less social approval.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
have had many book covers over the years. Which one/s
are you referring to? (A couple of links would likely
help clarify this, picture:words, 1:1000 and all
that.)
SusanI bought
nearly all my Vorkosigan books through the SF
Book Club, years ago. No choice on covers there,
and I rarely pay much attention to them
anywayI bought nearly all my Vorkosigan
books through the SF Book Club, years ago. No
choice on covers there, and I rarely pay much
attention to them anyway. Unless they are really
awful, like one of the McCaffrey books that
showed the dragons with steering wheels! Good
grief....more Aug 17,
2017 09:24PM ·
flag
SusanBut I
must say those KIndle covers from the link above
are pretty awful. Since I don't have a Kindle, I
won't worry about it.But I must say those KIndle covers
from the link above are pretty awful. Since I
don't have a Kindle, I won't worry about
it....more Apr 09,
2020 10:21PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This is going to be a very interesting real-life
experiment in unexpected consequences, as time goes on.
I've been watching it out of the corner of my eye for
quite some time. The article does suggest it makes a
big difference whether the women in question are of an
educated class or not -- but that would make a
difference anyway, so, hard to tell at a glance.
ShakatanyWhile
this might be a gain for women in urban areas I
read an article sometime ago that in the
countryside women are being kidnapped and forced
to marWhile this might be a gain for
women in urban areas I read an article sometime
ago that in the countryside women are being
kidnapped and forced to marry men in other farm
regions. With the one child policy some women win
and others lose *sigh*...more Jun 15,
2015 07:49AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This seems to be a common fannish sport. I don't do it
much, but if you like, you can picture Oliver Reed
playing Aral, and Paul Darrow playing Duv Galeni.
Cordelia might be vaguely young-Vanessa-Redgrave.
Illyan seems to be some kind of cross between David
McCallum and Walter Koenig. Adjust ages as needed,
Miles is hard, although there was an actor who played
Richard III in a long-ago TV production that had
something of him, lots of energy. Have forgotten his
name. (Checks internet -- Ron Cook -- 30 years back.
1983 production, tho' I don't remember when I saw it.)
Otherwise, characters' visages mostly float, even when
I'm writing them.
Peter MeekI
also have trouble visualizing characters, but I
know why this is. I have Prosopagnosia
(face-blindness). (Check it in Wikipedia.) The
list of actorsI also have trouble visualizing
characters, but I know why this is. I have
Prosopagnosia (face-blindness). (Check it in
Wikipedia.) The list of actors who might be cast
as the various characters helps me not at all,
since I can't visualize them, either. I
"recognize" characters the same way I do the
people in my life: by voice, manner of speech,
context (where I usually see them), body build,
hairstyle and color (hair salons are my enemy),
manner of dress (uniforms confuse me). Your
descriptions of all these things are how I keep
track of who is who. Some other authors fail me
in this respect, but your characters are vivid
for me....more Oct 12,
2016 05:01AM ·
flag
HollyI just ran
across this (I know, it's an old question) and
had to say that Aral Vorkosigan will always in my
head be played by Edward James Olmos.I just ran across this (I know,
it's an old question) and had to say that Aral
Vorkosigan will always in my head be played by
Edward James Olmos....more Dec 07,
2016 04:48AM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Mark's my absolute favorite character of
the series, and I've got a question about his psychology.
I've taken a few undergrad level psych courses and
wondered did you base it off of mental fragmentation, or
do you base it off a real mental illness that maybe I
haven't heard of? And one more question: do you see Mark
and Kareen ever getting married? I loooooove them
together, so I've always been curious.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Multiple personality disorder is an old, and perhaps
somewhat factitious, idea. The more recent notions
about dissociative disorders generally seem to rest on
somewhat more solid foundations. The rest was creative
insight; putting myself in Mark's skin and thinking it
through, which is what a writer does when creating any
character, more or less convincingly.
I don't know if Mark and Kareen will ever marry; they
seem to be getting along fine with a galactic-style
partnership. If they did, they might well have a choice
of which legal codes to marry under, which could
matter. If they ever decide to have children, that
could change, but probably won't until that point.
I've occasionally thought that his business /
Jacksonian expertise might make him an
interesting alternate Auditor ifLois, count me as a Mark fan
too!
I've occasionally thought that his business /
Jacksonian expertise might make him an
interesting alternate Auditor if Miles is no
longer suitable. I've also wondered if he might
ever trade in his fat for muscles as a different
way to distinguish himself from Miles (but your
answer upthread about Kareen seems to make that
unlikely)....more Oct 23,
2015 01:58PM ·
flag
Michelle
EcumeI'd think
making him a more muscular version of Miles
wouldn't make as much sense. If he's overweight,
seeing both Miles and Mark from a distance
woulI'd think making him a more
muscular version of Miles wouldn't make as much
sense. If he's overweight, seeing both Miles and
Mark from a distance would be easier to
distinguish who from who. IMO. And whereas I'm no
sniper or trained in any way Mark is, maybe he
took being seen at a distance into consideration?
I'm not sure Kareen would be too keen on him
losing the weight either. ;)
Ah, I love Mark and Kareen together. <3...more Oct 23,
2015 03:33PM ·
flag
The backstory of the first malice is almost as vague in
my mind as it is in the characters. I figure to fill in
the details if I ever write a prequel which, I admit,
does not seem likely. But it involved the most powerful
magics of the old mage-lords, a deal of hubris, and an
attempt to pull in something that was Not Of This
World. From there, things did NOT go according to
plan.
I do believe that the alien-ness of the malices is from
that Outside; their evil, all from their human parts or
programming.
Dag's people have very limited written records of the
Old Days, and some oral traditions more-or-less
distorted in the retellings. Their broad outline is
more-or-less correct, but there are a lot of missing
details.
Eleanor
With CatsI really
liked the Sharing Knife and it snuck up on me. At
first I enjoyed it but wasn't that into it, and
then when I had all 4 books together and
reI really liked the Sharing
Knife and it snuck up on me. At first I enjoyed
it but wasn't that into it, and then when I had
all 4 books together and reread them I just
wanted more....more Oct 08,
2015 12:38AM ·
flag
Michael
BernsteinLois, is
the arctic 'truly' life-free? It isn't here, not
by a long shot.
And even if it is life-free *now*, was it always
so (or was the edge always iLois, is the arctic 'truly'
life-free? It isn't here, not by a long shot.
And even if it is life-free *now*, was it always
so (or was the edge always in the same place)?
Perhaps an expedition to a legendary lost city in
the north to look for answers would be worthwhile
after all......more Oct 23,
2015 01:44PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldToo
early for spoilers, I think, but it is certainly the
case that we saw the later Aral and Cordelia mainly
through Miles's eyes, which is a peculiarly restricted
frame. I can say that Cordelia and Aral loved each
other without reserve until death parted them.
Also, don't forget that Cordelia is Betan. Betan /=
21st. C. Middle American, despite her accent.
Technology, as usual, creates the ambit of the
possible, in culture as in so much else.
So much else, but you'll have to wait for the
book for that.
I don't, but for a while earlier in my career I was in
a writer's group who read their offerings aloud to each
other, which may have had some long-term effect. And I
certainly subvocalize while composing,
The professional narrators of my audio books seem to
like them, for what that's worth.
Adger
WilliamsI have
read many of your books out loud to the rest of
the family. They are the standard by which we
judge a good book. Aug 03,
2015 06:33AM ·
flag
Zachary
JacobiI read A
Civil Campaign out loud with my girlfriend this
summer, trading off the roles, and it was great
fun. Reading Miles' letter together was
definI read A Civil Campaign out loud
with my girlfriend this summer, trading off the
roles, and it was great fun. Reading Miles'
letter together was definitely the highlight. It
truly is the best damn abject I've ever
seen....more Sep 04,
2015 01:22PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Hee. Not the first to name kids or pets after my
characters, although in this case it seems to be by
chance. I just hope the kids don't hold it against me
in later years... the pets are on their own.
Joshua
AbellI name my
network nodes after locations in your
books. Nov 02,
2015 09:08AM ·
flag
Gillian
WisemanI have
cats named Ivan You Idiot, and Simon. Late
kitties were named Cordelia and Roland Miles
(long story there). We also have a Gandalf and
MatildaI have cats named Ivan You Idiot,
and Simon. Late kitties were named Cordelia and
Roland Miles (long story there). We also have a
Gandalf and Matilda after different literary
characters....more Aug 04,
2017 02:26PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
can't say that characterization is something I
try to focus on... it seems to come "for free"
for me. (Referring to a metaphor about writing where
every writer has different aspects of the craft that
seem to come easily to them, and others they have to
work for.) I have to work for plot, and setting, and,
argh! names, tech and worldbuilding, and magic systems
if extant, theology, politics, architecture and
clothing design and so on. But if a character presents
him/her/itself as interesting enough to write about in
the first place, they seem to come walking onstage
already pretty integral. Also, nearly impossible to
alter in any arbitrary fashion, even though they grow
and change with the story. Mountains are easier to
move.
Though they do tend to go through a stage early in
their development (and, indeed, later on in the tale)
where I keep trying story and backstory on them to see
what fits, like a frustrating shopping trip, but that
feels more like discovery than invention.
Once I have a character, everything else can be added.
Without a character, everything else is useless.
LauraThis
comment is a mish-mashed response to this, and
the previous question regarding Morgenstern's
"The Night Circus". I was just looking up the
AmazonThis comment is a mish-mashed
response to this, and the previous question
regarding Morgenstern's "The Night Circus". I was
just looking up the Amazon listing for that book
and noticed a Q&A section with the author
where she describes how her book originated in "a
location created out of desperation" for a
"different story altogether." Her whole answer is
very interesting, and I mention it here because
it sounds like an entirely different method to
develop a novel. Not making comparisons at all,
I'm just fascinated by how our unique minds
tackle the creative process in so many different
ways. I've read elsewhere (can't remember where)
how some authors are inspired by beautiful words
or phrases, while others are inspired by imagery
which they then put into words.
I do have to say that what I have always loved
about your books are the characters. The plots
are fabulous too. Always satisfying to read and I
enjoy this forum where we are treated to these
insights to your creative process.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
glad you enjoyed Pen and Des -- I certainly enjoyed
writing them. (And do pass the word -- this work is
getting no promotion beyond word of mouth.)
I have no plans to expand this novella as such. It is
not impossible that the characters could have further
short (although 35k words is not actually "short")
adventures someday, a series in miniature, but nothing
is in the works at this time. (I am back to being
semi-retired for the rest of the summer.)
I really enjoyed getting to write something
short, after the prior novel that took three years
(though to be fair, a lot of that was
life-interruptions.) But for a novella one needs to
have just the right idea to fit the length. Short
stories and novelettes seem too short to me to get in
much character development -- they tend to be more
idea-centered snapshots. But novellas are just long
enough, elbow room without bloat. Whee!
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
first two Chalion books were written over a decade ago,
now, so my recall of their composition is getting
vague. I had a life accumulation of occasional church
attendance, but more important was probably reading.
Some C. S. Lewis, a book by Thomas Merton, something by
an Islamic mystic, some readings on Buddhism, Taoism,
and Shinto, The Confessions of St. Augustine,
biographies of St. Ignatius Loyola and that fellow who
went off to found the leper colony in Hawaii, Teresa of
Avila, and so on. And reading, yes, about real-life
mystics, mostly from the Middle Ages in the course of
my general historical filter feeding of the era.
The serious mystics across religions do seem to be
zeroing in on something similar, and recognize it in
each other, though whether it is some subtle universal
equivalent to the hiss from the Big Bang, or just the
60-cycle hum of their own biology, I am not sure.
(Though I suppose it could be both.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
have certainly recommended the anime of
Mushi-shi. I think I found it first on Netflix,
but now own my own copy. (They did a live-action movie
of it, too, but the anime is much better. The anime is
quite closely based on the original manga.)
No influence on butter bugs, as A Civil Campaign
was written in the late 90s, and I didn't find the
anime till much later, after Netflix was invented.
Lois McMaster
BujoldHopes, maybe, plans, not yet. I
have characters, I have setting, I have notions, but no
suitable plot has yet reported for duty. I think I need
to get less busy, to give brain room for something to
come up, but that keeps not happening. Too much time
spent on servicing old material, lately, though that is
part of the necessary business of writing.
DavidThe
manner in which future Adventures is apportioned
among the heroes, Main Character and his friends,
is revealed toward the end: how the "jobs"
becoThe manner in which future
Adventures is apportioned among the heroes, Main
Character and his friends, is revealed toward the
end: how the "jobs" become available, where the
auditions are being held, the terms of the
contracts (the hero's pay is contingent upon
killing the Main Villain and on completing the
Main Quest). The main term of most of the
contracts is: Don't talk about the contract to
anybody....more Aug 21,
2015 04:15AM ·
flag
Eleanor
With CatsI really
enjoyed Penric's Demon btw. The demon is
hilarious, as is Penric when he begins to come
into his own and let himself out more.I really enjoyed Penric's Demon
btw. The demon is hilarious, as is Penric when he
begins to come into his own and let himself out
more....more Oct 08,
2015 12:35AM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[At the end of Cryoburn, did Gregor join
the Pallbearers as the Emperor, or as the Count Vorbarra?
The former is implied, but since you do not mention the
uniform he wore (as you did in Civil Campaign for the
wedding), I have doubts. Small ones, mind you.
Thank you for your time and for many many many (lots,
even) hours of great reading fun.
-Daiv (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'm pretty sure Gregor went to the interment as Gregor,
and was barely conscious of what he was wearing. I'm
also pretty sure his valet put him into whatever was
correct, that morning. I don't know if there is an
equivalent Imperial uniform to House Blacks. At this
last, private stage of things, a civilian suit is also
a possibility. It would not have been the gaudy parade
red-and-blues, anyway.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Everybody has accents; the Vor are no exception. That
should be in the plural, of course, given all the
different regions and language groups on the planet.
Some accents would be more associated with high status
or places of origin than others, and thus aped, and
whatever the BBC uses most would tend to spread.
Barrayarans don't have quite the mania for
placing/pegging each other by their voices as do the
Brits, but they come close.
The Vorkosigan family accent runs to something like
"British actor doing stage Russian accent".
I'm not planning anything at this stage, though I'm
open to possibilities. Part of the reason for the
Penric tale is that I wanted to explore direct
e-placement, which, among other things, has far fewer
constraints on length or topic than other modes of
publication. I'm certainly counting the experiment a
success.
But, really, Penric's tale happened because I wasn't
trying to write at all, but rather, had relaxed
and kicked back. With my brain less busy, there was
space to listen to myself think. (The internet, I
observe, is quite willing to keep one's brain
frantically busy 24/7.) Also, an idea needs to be of
the right weight and length for a novella; too little
and there's nothing to say, too long and it turns into
a novel, which is not the point of the exercise. I will
say, finishing something in a mere three months
was a real treat. So, we'll just have to see.
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, that's a question I plan to
leave to readerly speculation. However, if a
double-dominant dose of the gene is required for the
telepathy to kick in, in standard Mendelian inheritance
patterns, it will actually be the second generation
after Ethan that starts to show the effects, and then,
of course, only if primed with enough tyramine. The
very first actives would likely put it down to drunken
hallucinations, with a few poor boys wondering if they
were going crazy, till word got around.
Michael
BernsteinYeah, like
male-pattern baldness being inherited strictly
from the mother (if you want to know if you're
going to go bald, take a look at your
maternaYeah, like male-pattern baldness
being inherited strictly from the mother (if you
want to know if you're going to go bald, take a
look at your maternal uncle(s) or maternal
grandmother's brother(s)....more Oct 23,
2015 11:44AM ·
flag
TarazaThis
actually bothers me a lot.Why would Ethan
contaminate the egg banks? Since no one could
tell them what was going to happen, I see the
first occurThis actually bothers me a lot.Why
would Ethan contaminate the egg banks? Since no
one could tell them what was going to happen, I
see the first occurrences when boys did the
equivalent of steal beers and eat pizza to get
thst tyramine up. Psychotic breaks would be
suspected.I seean increase suicide since no.one
could help them. When Ethan going admit to this?
I see this horribly unethical....more Dec 26,
2015 08:30PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, it will be available as an
e-book. First will come the eARC, Advanced Reader's
Copy, effectively the same as my galley proofs, which
will be for sale off Baen's own website in advance of
publication by a couple of months. The usual price for
these is $15. The regular, fully corrected e-book will
be released no later than simultaneously with the
hardcover, I think. (I should probably cross-check this
data.)
It's more important for publishers to get accurate
early pre-order data for print books than e-books, due
to needing to decide on the size of print runs and
arrange all with the printing company, for the books to
be printed and shipped by the pub date. E-book "print
runs" are indefinitely instantly expandable, as long as
people don't crash the server...
Ta, L.
Oh, I should add there will be a pre-signed hardcover
edition for sale, too, rather like the one for Ivan's
book.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I hadn't, but I have heard of similar things. Going
right back to pre-electric days exploring, and possibly
building, Egyptian tombs using mirror-light.
Lois McMaster
Bujold"Aspiration character" is a new
term for me -- thanks! Is it common coin?
No special catalyst, except that his time had come, and
Miles was overdue for a rest. I'd had a notion for a
story for him before (give him a Cetagandan princess!),
which failed to jell. Lots of fan requests for more
Ivan fell on the usual politely deaf ears till I had a
new idea (give him a Jacksonian mafia princess!), which
even recycled a little of the old idea as a bonus, and
we were off and running. Or strolling, in Ivan's
case.
The most important part of the practice for him was
giving him a viewpoint in A Civil Campaign, I
think, which he'd never had before, allowing us to
explore his hidden shallows.
Tara
BozarthIvan
grew. In Warrior's Apprentice, I think, when
Miles is just growing his wings, Elena asks him
who will govern Vorkosigan district. Miles reply,
thIvan grew. In Warrior's
Apprentice, I think, when Miles is just growing
his wings, Elena asks him who will govern
Vorkosigan district. Miles reply, that Ivan was
his heir. Elena responded that he was a jerk and
a creep and had tried to feel her up in the past.
Which in my books is sexual harassment. Which
Ivan would not have done later. But he had. So,
he grew. And In Ivan's book, it said that he was
also shielded by his own clan, not just
Aral....more Sep 29,
2015 11:48AM ·
flag
Ariana“his
hidden shallows...” bwahahahaha!! :D Jan 13,
2020 12:37PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldAh,
this is a frequent confusion, engendered by that old
Baen timeline, I think.
Back when I was putting together the three Miles
novellas for the fix-up collection Borders of
Infinity (note the absence of the "The" -- and of
quote marks, which signify a short story), Jim Baen
asked me to write a frame in which to embed the three
tales to make the volume look more like a novel, as
collections didn't sell well. Which I dutifully did,
making it a sort of little story, because that's what I
do. It does not in any way stand alone. I have Miles
remembering or telling the three episodes to Illyan
while in hospital after a mission, plausible reasons
for asking or remembering supplied by the frame.
The three novellas plus the original frame may be found
in the collection (or novel) Borders of
Infinity, currently available as a direct-placement
e-book and in other formats. The frame was dropped when
we broke up the novellas to fit in the chronology of
the omnibus volumes, as it would have made no sense in
that context.
If I had realized back in the 80s how much confusion it
would make in the future, I would have titled the
collection something very different from the title
story! Too late now, so I just have to keep explaining
to people.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nothing is promised, nothing is ruled out, and nothing
is in progress.
I'd like to do some more new things, but I have lately
involved myself with the e-book relaunch with the new
e-covers, which is going to keep me busy for a month or
two more. After that, who knows?
CarolI was
reflecting on the thought that a Saga usually
covers multiple generations. At this point, there
are only stories about two generations. My
refleI was reflecting on the thought
that a Saga usually covers multiple generations.
At this point, there are only stories about two
generations. My reflections were to wonder how
soon Miles' kids will be old enough, and whether
it would be interesting to have more of the story
of Miles' grandfather. Keep thinking, Lois, we
love your books....more Sep 20,
2015 02:46PM ·
flag
PennyI'm with
Carol!I'm with Carol!...more Sep 21,
2015 09:42AM ·
flag
Jane
BigelowI'd love
to see something set during first contact, though
it would take us away from the characters we know
and love. Miles and Ekaterin as parents oI'd love to see something set
during first contact, though it would take us
away from the characters we know and love. Miles
and Ekaterin as parents of teenagers would be
fun, too....more Sep 21,
2015 03:06PM ·
flag
I had an official offer to sharecrop from Baen, years
and years ago, and turned it down. It just doesn't mesh
well with the way I work. Too much is intuitive, too
much generated on the fly, too much just-in-time
world-building, too much control-freakery. Trying to
work with another writer would be a huge communication
burden, and all the fun parts would be left out, from
my point of view.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
That goes all the way back to The Warrior's
Apprentice in 1986, when (admittedly mentioned in
passing by Tav Calhoun) Beta Colony's arrangements are
indicated to be highly flexible. And there was that
poly family in The Sharing Knife. Athos... is in
a class by itself. Lots of variety in the Vorkosiverse,
although mercenary fleets, naturally, are not much
about family formation. Jackson's Whole, anything can
happen and does. And then there are the Cetagandans,
the ghem indicated to practice polygamy sometimes, the
haut deeply mysterious, no idea what their ordinary
citizens get up to, and so on and on.
A lot of the stories touch on an exploration of what
might happen when sexuality and reproduction are truly
technologically separated. Sexuality becomes optional
and malleable, and much less fraught, but somebody
still has to change the babies' diapers, or they will
die. Not everyone needs to have children, but all
characters need to have parents -- or some SFnal
equivalent, and no cheating by having people raised to
adulthood in vats and anyway, who would run the vats?
So.
No new books are in process at the moment, so I can't
predict what I may like to explore next.
Lois McMaster
BujoldNo,
no. and no, roughly. I am more a listener than a
talker, and tend to gravitate to inveterate talkers
therefore, who do all the work for me, which in turn
doesn't give me much practice at talking.
Lois McMaster
BujoldBy
the third generation, they had lost electricity, and
were down to wind, water, and muscle power for a time.
Loss of tech went hand-in-hand with loss of social
cohesion, and came back much the same way. By the last
quarter-century before the end of the ToI, they were
getting electricity back. There followed about 15 years
of very rapid development between the rediscovery and
the Cetagandan invasion, half a generation. Development
continued throughout the Occupation, in erratic patchy
ways. Lots of off-planet imports turbo-boosted things,
as well as disrupting them.
Details left as a problem for the student, or
Fanficwoman.
Derek
Peter HawleyI'd never
thought of writing Vorkosigan fanfic until I read
that... Oh, the possibilities.I'd never thought of writing
Vorkosigan fanfic until I read that... Oh, the
possibilities....more Oct 08,
2015 06:39PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, I wouldn't rec starting
with Memory, simply because so much of the
impact of the book rests on what went before. I don't
think there is a sure-fire Vorkosiverse starter-book --
readers' tastes are too different, and the books are
not all the same. The series does build by
accumulation, and I have tried to make each volume work
as a stand-alone, although that has become harder over
time.
Borders of Infinity is a sort of
sampler-platter, and short, so that might be worth
trying.
I could ask readers to chime in, here, though I'm
pretty sure it would not result in consensus.
BethBorders of
Infinity is where I began with your work, ma'am.
Now I've read it all, and waiting humbly and
politely for more!Borders of Infinity is where I
began with your work, ma'am. Now I've read it
all, and waiting humbly and politely for
more!...more Nov 17,
2023 07:11AM ·
flag
BrzkI know
this is unpopular opinion, also not coinciding
with Lois' own suggested order but... "The Vor
Game" works exceptionally well as a standalone,
iI know this is unpopular
opinion, also not coinciding with Lois' own
suggested order but... "The Vor Game" works
exceptionally well as a standalone, is set
relatively early in Miles' story and I can vouch
with my life that they will crave more afterwards
(be it forward or backward in chronological
order)....more Nov 19,
2023 09:45AM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[A friend (and fellow fan) of mine
brought up an interesting thought about the post Cryoburn
Miles. If he is now a Count, is he no longer an Imperial
Auditor? It seems like that would be a pretty big
conflict of interest, or at least appear that way to his
peers. (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
left that open at the end of CryoBurn. I,
Gregor, and Miles are all conscious of the
conflict-of-interests issue. I'm sure Miles at least
offered his resignation. Gregor might have more-or-less
stored it in the refrigerator, holding Miles in reserve
for any galactic contretemps that might call for his
special expertise, but keeping him out of any
Empire-internal cases.
An Auditor's powers are not a 24/7 (or 26.7/7) thing,
but activated and deactivated case by case. Jumping one
between cases would automatically create a case,
however, so, like many things on Barrayar, it has
ambiguities that only Barrayarans seem to readily
parse.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
influence of Japan is more structural, on the authorial
level, than internal in terms of fictional founder
population. (Though the 50,000 Firsters were
undoubtedly more racially mixed than most readers seem
to realize, drawn from four different kind-of-European
Earth regions 200 or more years from "now".) But
Japanese history gives a worked example of cultural
isolation and forcible rediscovery that is most
evocative, psychologically and politically, when
thinking about SFnal lost-colony scenarios. Useful
stuff.
Reading rec: A Daughter of the Samurai (1925) by
Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto.
Lois McMaster
BujoldNames are always a burden to me.
When working in a made-up universe like Chalion or the
Wide Green World, I often brainstorm potential name
lists in advance of the story, so that when a new
character pops onstage I don't come to a dead stop for
three days trying to figure out his/her/its name. I
have a prefab list of dozens, and just run down it till
one pops out as feeling right for that individual. This
also allows me to create a more uniform sense of
language/name groups and so on. (Taking a region on a
map, chopping all the names into syllables, and
recombining them can lend a subliminal sense of
language/culture unity to a name list.) In working in
the Vorkosiverse, I am very happy to now live in the
age of Wikipedia, where I can pull up lists of
authentic ethnic Old Earth names at a mouse-click.
Beats the heck out of the days when all I had was the
local telephone directory and some
syllable-scrambling.
This answer
contains spoilers… (view
spoiler)[No, not directly.
The Baen eARC is now up for sale -- as of today! --
at Baen eBooks -- so you can find out everything else
for yourself. My latest blog post (10/21/15) has a
link.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
have no dietary restrictions, although in recent years
I've had to give up coffee :-( because it gives me
indigestion.
For a while, I was trying to do dinners for a group
which included a vegetarian, a person on the Atkins
diet, and a person who did not like fish. I think I
finally had them brown-bag it...
There are some classic old SF stories about vat meat
versus dietary shibboleths, which the commenters can
probably chime in with.
BrzkRevisiting
old discussions. Just three years later - and we
are getting closer to the reality of vat meet.
Cell cultures should be labeled both
kosherRevisiting old discussions. Just
three years later - and we are getting closer to
the reality of vat meet. Cell cultures should be
labeled both kosher/halal/eco-friendly and
sustainable, because not even a muscle tissue
there, let alone any neuronal acitivity
sufficient to call the product a being. I am just
interested in the technology - how are they going
to produce the muscle fibers and the very special
marbling effect with the fat? Will there be
shell-less eggs? Milk from some other protein (no
almonds and oats, thank you)? Or will we finally
learn do have our coffee black and otherwise
drink water? How very cool. So sorry I am not
some sort of a lab technician/bio-boffin....more Jul 02,
2021 07:40AM ·
flag
J.M.
Ney-GrimmA
relevant read on this topic: The Carnivore Code
by Paul Saladino. Sep 07,
2022 12:47PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
not sure where that series is going at this time. My
original plan for five-books-five-gods seems to have
run aground, as the template proved too rigid; the
recent novella "Penric's Demon" was in part an
experiment to see if I could shake something loose in a
new direction.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
would like to do more with Penric, but no suitable plot
has reported for duty yet. Doing something short was
definitely a blast. I think it's time for something
new, but I don't know what yet. I still have about a
month of work left to get the Vorkosiverse e-re-issue
all out, plus proofing and 1100 tip sheets to sign for
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen; after that, my
eyes will need a rest, and after that, we'll see.
Lois McMaster
BujoldDue
to founder-effect, Dubauer is a common name on Beta
Colony (like Smith); the ba picked it because it seemed
bland and unmemorable.
I do not know the ba's final planned destination, but
it must have had the equivalent of an orphanage lined
up waiting there. The prospective employees were
doubtless peeved when their employer did not show up,
stiffing them.
This
question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[...Ok, exactly how long have you been
waiting to spring those perspective shifts in Gentleman
Jole and the Red Queen on us? Two days after reading, I'm
still counting up all the stuff that categorically
changed in that book. I'm thinking some of those have
been sitting around as little hints and implications for
more than a decade. You, madame, are a literary magician
of the first water. (hide
spoiler)]
This answer
contains spoilers… (view
spoiler)[(Not only does the question contain
spoilers, so does the answer. Beware.)
The answer varies with the specifics. I'd been
thinking about the business surrounding the
Cetagandan pullout from Barrayar for at least 15
years, or at any rate, so long that I've forgotten
how long. I wanted to put it in at the end of Ivan's
book, but was talked out of it by my test readers for
issues of tone control. Aral, of course, has been
canonically bisexual, and Cordelia canonically Betan,
since 1983. I can't think how anyone could have
missed that, but oh well. Readers.
Jole had been a glint in my eye since 1989, when I
wrote The Vor Game, but that development
certainly didn't belong in that book. (Nor in any of
my other books of the 90s, when my most critical
concern was career-building in order to make a
living/not fall back into poverty in an extremely
demanding literary marketplace.) The Sergyar
developments were not thought of till after I'd
written Memory, certainly. Then after the turn
of the millennium I went off to write those seven
fantasies for HarperCollins, with no plan to get back
to the Vorkosiverse at all till Toni Weisskopf coaxed
Cryoburn out of me. And then the Ivan book
came along on its own, for lagniappe and for fun.
And then people kept asking and asking (and asking,
and also asking) what happens to Miles after
Cryoburn, which fell on deaf ears till I
realized it was the wrong question. The real question
was, what happens to Cordelia. This book is
the answer to that question.
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[So many questions, so few
characters!
Did Leo & Silver have children?
Why do many Quaddie names seem like surnames (Venn,
Watts, etc)
Was Delia named after Cordelia?
How could the twins be 5 in Cryo. and 11 in GJ?
How many kids for Ivan so far? Where is he posted?
Did Nikki get adopted? Change his name to VK?
Why does only 1 of 3 libraries I use for e/audio have any
of your books and V books only in audio? ack (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
do not know if Leo and Silver had kids, but it is not
ruled out. They would have needed biotech aid. Quaddie
names were for a long time one unique name per quaddie,
which, as the population expanded, got to be a stretch
before they went to adding the numbers to allow
duplication.
Yes, Delia was named after Cordelia; the latter is
probably her actual legal name.
5 almost 6, 11 just turned from 10, a few months
slipped in somewhere, variants in planetary year
length... many retcons are feasible.
I don't know if Ivan and Tej have had kids "yet", nor
where he is posted, nor, indeed, what his "new career"
really turned out to be. Ivan presently exists in an
electron cloud of potential, position unknown
Nikki did not choose to be adopted, and did choose to
retain (and perhaps redeem) his family name. In his
immediate Vorsoisson line, he is the senior male, being
only son of the only son to have offspring, and
possibly not too many brothers/uncles upstream.
Baen doesn't seem to be doing library placements at
present, though HarperCollins is, and has my fantasies
for them up in many libraries' e-systems. Blackstone
Audio also has good library placement. I would like to
get some of my direct-placement/self-published
Vorkosigan e-book backlist up, at the very least a
couple of titles to test the waters, but have not so
far succeeded in doing so. I'm not sure which one or
two would be best to experiment with.
Eleanor
With CatsI'm not
sure which one or two would be best to experiment
with
If you mean which titles, I'd think intro points
in the series and standalones would beI'm not sure which one or two
would be best to experiment with
If you mean which titles, I'd think intro points
in the series and standalones would be best, as
people can try them as new (and possibly
thereafter ask the library to get more). Are the
ebook covers you've been posting for the selfpub
ebook backlist? I think Shards of Honor was in
there. The Warrior's Apprentice and Falling Free
also come to mind.
Since Penric's Demon is an ebook, if you have
selfpub/direct placement Chalion novels you could
try one or more of those, they can be read
independently of each other even though Ista's in
two....more Oct 27,
2015 05:55PM ·
flag
Talli
RuksasSo Ivan
making a start on Alys's longed for grandchildren
just refers to his marriage? Darn
Not exactly what I meant about the quaddies.
Artists like NSo Ivan making a start on Alys's
longed for grandchildren just refers to his
marriage? Darn
Not exactly what I meant about the quaddies.
Artists like Nichol seem to have first names,
more traditionally working types surnames like
Greenlaw.
Waiting for Penric and Spirit Ring to hit the
library but have read and/or listened to
everything else. Well, bought all the V in e, and
some in audio, and still have a few DT :)
Thanks for enriching my life in ways I can't
explain...more Oct 31,
2015 07:48PM ·
flag
SandyGlancing
through old Q&A's this cold winter's night I
was amused to coincidently see my children's
exact current ages, "5 almost 6, 11 just turned
froGlancing through old
Q&A's this cold winter's night I was amused
to coincidently see my children's exact current
ages, "5 almost 6, 11 just turned from 10"
reflected in this answer. Although going back to
examine the question I found it wasn't meant as
two siblings ages at the same moment in time. I
will add it to my pocket full of "small world"
moments nonetheless....more Jan 05,
2022 08:30PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWhile acquaintance with a number
of different real-world religions informed the Chalion
books, I think the Five Gods are original, both in
underpinnings and in a lot of details. Some ideas are
stolen and modified, such as the rather
check-mark-shaped signing of the Five over the five
theological points (four if one is Quadrene) versus the
Catholic signing of the Cross, which is also a
mnemonic.
The ancient Chinese probably had less influence than
several other sources. Otherwise, I used lots of
natural elements; the hand, the seasons, human familial
relationships, and so on. Five was also attractive
because it resisted, to a degree, dualism, which I
think is a way of looking at the world that tends to
create a lot of ill.
The two religions in The Hallowed Hunt had some
inspiration from the clash between early Christianity
and the Germanic, Saxon, and Nordic pagan religions of
the so-called Dark Ages. Great Audar's career borrows
elements from Charlemagne, for example. (Well, steals,
perhaps, since I have no intention of giving them
back.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldNeither; what I care about most
is the character study. The plot only exists to reveal
new things to me about the characters, to supply a
worthwhile road for their spiritual journeys. Ditto the
setting, really. The readers are merely invited along
for the ride. What they get out of it all will be to a
large and non-controllable (and, I have observed,
wildly varied) extent up to them.
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I just finished a reread of the entire
Vorkosigan Saga, capped with reading the ARC of Gentleman
Jole and the Red Queen, and I couldn't help but notice
how often Jole actually is mentioned in passing. So, I
now have to ask - did you know what Oliver was, in
relation to Cordelia and Aral, way back when you
introduced him in The Vor Game? If not, when did that
situation reveal itself to you?
Yes, I "knew" what Jole was (although not yet his first
name) back when I first wrote The Vor Game in
1989, though he existed then more as a cloud of
potential than as a known position. That potential
expanded after I wrote Memory, circa 1995, which
packed Aral and Cordelia off to Sergyar and
incidentally extended Aral's narrative life by a
decade. For the next 4 volumes the series followed
Miles, who, you may have noticed, is a trifle
self-centered, and thus so are his books.
Jole might have continued to exist merely as my private
amusement if I hadn't been drawn back to write first
CryoBurn and then Captain Vorpatril's
Alliance, during which my speculations about him
solidified, and then invited his story. The first notes
hit actual paper in early 2011, when I was stalled on
Ivan's book for various internal and external reasons.
I then picked up Ivan's tale after a radical revamping
and finished it, so I didn't get around to writing the
first scene of GJ&RQ(which became the second
scene of the actual book) in early 2012. (2/26/2012, my
computer files tells me. Huh.) Reader demand to know
what happened after CryoBurn also fed into this,
as I gradually realized that the aftermath that really
interested me was not Miles's, but Cordelia's.
Writing Jole's story did its usual trick of creating
him, or at least, making him visible to me, in greater
detail, and he finally achieved the character-density
you see by the end of the book. (Not to mention that
first name.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldAliens vs. no-aliens is an old
bifurcation in space opera. The formative works I was
reading back in the 60s offered both models. A lot of
the aliens tended to be just people in costume, and not
just on Star Trek. Two models of the latter
choice for world building were of course Asimov, who
had humans-only, and the less-well-known but amazing
writer Cordwainer Smith, who had extensive
bioengineering of both human and animals, and who was
much the bigger influence on me.
By the time I began writing, science was beginning to
catch up with the bioengineered future Smith had
envisioned, and the "aliens are us" notion seemed even
more plausible. By the time I'd finished the first
couple of volumes of my not-planned-in-advance series,
I'd pretty much committed to the bioengineered-humans
model, and that if there were any advanced aliens in
our galaxy (which is a big place not only in space but
in time -- two such species could miss each other not
only by light years but by millions of years) they
wouldn't show up in in my characters' lifetimes.
JerriDon't
forget that Asimov did write one very important
novel with non-human aliens, The Gods
Themselves.Don't forget that Asimov did write
one very important novel with non-human aliens,
The Gods Themselves....more Aug 31,
2016 06:12AM ·
flag
Alex
ShruggedFYI,
Asimov later explained his lack of aliens by
revealing that robots were sent ahead to look for
human-habitable planets and terraformed them,
esseFYI, Asimov later explained his
lack of aliens by revealing that robots were sent
ahead to look for human-habitable planets and
terraformed them, essentially plowing under any
previous inhabitants....more Jun 11,
2018 06:35AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldFashion being what it is, the
answer is probably "all of the above". Palazzo pants,
certainly, but also every variation, as befitting the
season, the venue, or the need to sell more
trousers.
It's short; your computer might not be too
onerous. Or, it will be coming out sometime next year
from Subterranean Press as a chapbook-sized hardcover,
so there's that.
In general, my characters seem to have their own voices
and opinions, to which mine are necessarily
subordinate. I owe them the most honesty I can muster,
and everything I know (at the time.) I find this more
liberating than uncomfortable, although that may be
some species of displacement. I have to forget the
audience and my careful social-self while I am writing,
although readers certainly come to the forefront of my
thoughts when it's time for marketing, or for watching
their reactions to find out what I've written.
I think Pat has some posts in the book I just rec'd, or
certainly on her blog, on the problems of keeping the
internal editor from crippling the internal writer. I
am also reminded of a complaint from long-time
Analog editor Stan Schmidt, frustrated about
writers coming up to him and explaining that they
didn't send him this or that tale because "it didn't
seem like an Analog story." "It's not your job
to reject stories for my magazine -- it's mine!"
Anthony
RomaniwThank you
Lois! I'll dive right into the Pat Wrede links.
And continue my re-read of the Saga pre Feb 2.
Although lately it's been Grover Gardner
doinThank you Lois! I'll dive right
into the Pat Wrede links. And continue my re-read
of the Saga pre Feb 2. Although lately it's been
Grover Gardner doing all the heavy lifting.
Good luck with the release!...more Nov 29,
2015 05:16PM ·
flag
David
WooddellThanks
for the great advice. I would also add that one
should be careful of what you are
reading/listening to when trying to find the
right voice. TheThanks for the great advice. I
would also add that one should be careful of what
you are reading/listening to when trying to find
the right voice. The subconscious influence of
writer's voices can throw you off, or can help
you find a rhythm and voice that works for you.
This past year, I've been listening to the
Vorkosigan audio books to help me find my voice
for narrative writing. It has been a great
help!...more Apr 23,
2017 02:56AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldNot
Star Wars. I was approached once for Star Trek novels,
long ago, but for me that starship had sailed. They
should have asked me in 1968... :-)
I believe all the big franchises have some sort of
story bibles these days. (In the early days, when all
this was first being invented, things were more
free-form.) But it's not something I'm interested in --
I want to write my own stories -- so I've never
investigated further.
My friend Pat Wrede was approached through her agent
and contracted to write the middle-school novelizations
of the last 3 Star Wars movies, back when. But she was
under legal obligation not to talk about it, at the
time. But those were a lot more constrained than the
side novels, as she was working from "live" scripts
(some of them still wriggling.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldFor
all we know, he might be; Ezar Gregor, styled Gregor,
the way Aral Alexander chooses to be Alex.
Or he might have some other name combo -- perhaps Ezar
never liked his name, and chose not to have it
inflicted on his grandson, preferring to honor someone
else. Or maybe Serg wouldn't have it. The possibilities
are many.
The naming custom isn't all that strict, in
reality.
Susan PriceNo
kidding! And yeah, tradition is very different
than legal obligation. Aral and Cordelia would
have wanted to honor Aral's prickly conservative
fathNo kidding! And yeah, tradition is
very different than legal obligation. Aral and
Cordelia would have wanted to honor Aral's
prickly conservative father Piotr, but other
parents would feel differently about the
tradition....more Dec 07,
2015 12:32PM
ScottDon't
forget that we're doing Emperors here. So the
convention would not be strictly followed or
you'd get a line of Emperors that constantly
switchedDon't forget that we're doing
Emperors here. So the convention would not be
strictly followed or you'd get a line of Emperors
that constantly switched back and forth between
names making historical recall a real
headache....more May 23,
2019 11:18AM
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, Baen will be releasing their
e-edition no later, I believe, than the hardcover
release. I'll post when it goes live. (And, of course,
the eARC is out now, though it will be going away when
the final arrives.)
There will also be a signed limited edition, about
which, I am reminded, I should make a post.
Frank MikesJust
saying that I can confirm Kindle release. I'm
currently reading the book that way now.Just saying that I can confirm
Kindle release. I'm currently reading the book
that way now....more Feb 10,
2016 12:53PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, but Vorbarr Sultana is not
earthquake country; such events there would be unusual
and alarming even to earthquake veterans. Nonstandard
details such as the plumbing and other connections
ripping out of the walls as the building went down
would likely also be attention-grabbers.
As the building is windowless, its inhabitants wouldn't
have been treated to the sight of the earth rising up
past their windows, but it has plenty of other
monitoring to give alarm. Until that, too, was buried
or borked as events magisterially proceeded.
Meredith
MansfieldThen too,
that was only Simon's opinion. And it's given in
the middle of the single biggest example that he
is not infallible. :)Then too, that was only Simon's
opinion. And it's given in the middle of the
single biggest example that he is not infallible.
:)...more Dec 03,
2015 12:54PM ·
flag
BebeMy
godmother was in a restaurant in Venice when an
earthquake hit and she told me all the waiters
and locals left immediately, and only the
tourists wMy godmother was in a restaurant
in Venice when an earthquake hit and she told me
all the waiters and locals left immediately, and
only the tourists were left sitting
inside....more Dec 06,
2015 05:10PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThis seems a good question to
throw open to the readers at large -- more suggestions
in the comments, folks?
Depending on my mood, I have been fond of the Regency
romances of Georgette Heyer. Middle Pratchett is always
good -- very early Pratchett hasn't found its voice
yet, late Pratchett sometimes tends to more dark.
Jennifer Crusie for contemporary (or, by now,
then-contemporary) romantic comedy. Ben Aaronovitch's
Rivers of London series isn't comedy, but
narrator Peter Grant's voice and views are pretty
amusing at times. Megan Whalen Turner's YA fantasy
series starting with The Thief is also very
re-readable (try to avoid spoilers, going in.)
I also like animation and anime -- pretty much all the
Pixar and Dreamworks offerings, Miyazaki of course;
other, quirkier things. Paprika is a fave
feature-length film, Mushi-shi, while it is not
comedy -- it might be "gentle horror" -- a favorite
series. The series "The Wallflower" is... not readily
describable.
Some good Shakespeare comedy on film includes the 1997
production of Twelfth Night starring Helena
Bonham Carter, and the nicely goofy 2000 production of
Love's Labour's Lost done as a 1930s Hollywood
musical.
Peter MeekOh, and
Dorothy Dunnett's historical novels have some
pretty funny asides, as well. (The price of
æsthetic education is never small.)Oh, and Dorothy Dunnett's
historical novels have some pretty funny asides,
as well. (The price of æsthetic education is
never small.)...more Dec 31,
2015 05:00AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyI also
like to find some humour in the fiction I read,
but unfortunately it seems to be relatively
uncommon. Apart from the authors already
mentioned,I also like to find some humour in
the fiction I read, but unfortunately it seems to
be relatively uncommon. Apart from the authors
already mentioned, I can think of the popular
Murderbot series by Martha Wells (serious sf but
with traces of humour) and Roger Zelazny’s
_Doorways in the Sand_ , a slightly bizarre sf
novel that doesn’t take itself too seriously and
might raise a smile here and there....more Oct 14,
2024 09:26AM ·
flag
This
question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I attended your signing for Captain
Vorpatril's Alliance in Burlington, Massachusetts, in
2012, and you read part of a WIP featuring Miles,
Ekaterin, and Enrique (among others) concerning "rad
bugs," which were radiation-eating butter bugs. It was
set around the same point in the timelines as CVA. Has
anything come of that, or did it die aborning? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldThat story is, if not dead, in
cryostorage, very cold at present. I won't say I'll
never get back to it, but it needs to go somewhere
other than where it had stalled, and the unblocking
idea shows no sign of occurring. So, probably best not
to hope for it.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
am barely aware of the new SW movie, I'm afraid. I
loved the first trilogy, was hugely disappointed by the
second -- for that much money, why couldn't they have
bought a good script? -- and never got into the
books.
More for you all...
Ta, L. (I am waiting for Minions to appear on
Netflix, however.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldI've never worked out the
timeline in detail (and if I ever had, the paper I'd
have written it on would be long gone by now anyway.)
But, sure, roughly right. I put the Ceta invasion ~15
years after the end of the ToI, and it lasted ~ 20
years. I'd put Dorca's unification later, since he
survived right up to and through most of the
Occupation; although he might have been merely the
emperor to finish, rather than start and finish, that
political process. I've never established when Aral was
born in relation to the end of the Cetas, but, if not
before, soon after. Have no idea what you mean by
"canonization of the Vor caste", although equipping
them with and/or shooting them from cannons
would occur toward the middle-to-end of the ToI.
Rick EllrodMark would
make a good cannonball. Miles, more like a spear
. . . Dec 13,
2015 10:14AM ·
flag
Ara Sedaka*snorts
with laughter*
I'm guessing "canonization" equals the point at
which they stopped making new people Vor in
recognition of warriorish service? A*snorts with laughter*
I'm guessing "canonization" equals the point at
which they stopped making new people Vor in
recognition of warriorish service? Although I
don't especially remember any canonical mention
of exactly when that happened....more Dec 15,
2015 01:51PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldImprinting, mainly, I expect.
These were the sorts of stories I grew up loving in my
teens. (1960s vintage, plus any earlier work lingering
on local library shelves.) I didn't come to reading
romances or mysteries till later, in my 20s, though
they were both inboard as interests by the time I
started writing for professional publication in my
early 30s. Also, because of my reading familiarity with
the F&SF genres, and with conventions, I had at
least a vague clue how to go about submitting work, and
where, which I lacked for other genres.
Mostly, though, F&SF are universal receivers, like
certain blood types; they can absorb any other genre's
plots, tropes, styles, and ideas. So an SF writer does
not, at least in theory, have to give up any literary
possibilities, or restrict their creative range.
Susan PriceTrue:
because most of your Vorkosigan books involve
thriller/mystery solving, and some are notably
romances and comedies of manners as well. Your
fantTrue: because most of your
Vorkosigan books involve thriller/mystery
solving, and some are notably romances and
comedies of manners as well. Your fantasies are
even more wide-ranging in stealing from--I mean
incorporating the best from-- other genres...more Dec 16,
2015 08:14AM ·
flag
Hélène
LouiseI
absolutely agree with Susan! :) Dec 20,
2015 12:07PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWhich movie? I saw a made-for-TV
remake with the original cast some years back, which
wasn't all bad. If there is a new remake, I haven't
seen it yet.
Also, not 14 now, which makes a difference. Dear God,
has it been fifty years...?
A huge number of people of my generation were fans of
that show; not least, I suppose, because there were far
fewer choices of things to watch back then, which
tended to concentrate and enlarge the audiences.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
doubt it. Miles's life has gone in rather different
directions, by age 43, than he envisioned at age 17 or
even 27. As do most of ours...
He has found other ways to serve, not less
honorable.
Lois McMaster
Bujold"Alice" more-or-less, but with
not so sharp a sound as the "c" compels... Accent on
the first syllable. "AL-ease" is just a tad too
softened, but something like that.
Derek
Peter HawleyI've
always thought that "Vor" should be unemphasized,
like the French "Des" or German "Von". Does the
emphasis always go on the next syllable,
thoughI've always thought that "Vor"
should be unemphasized, like the French "Des" or
German "Von". Does the emphasis always go on the
next syllable, though (vor PAT ril, vor KOH suh
g'n)? Or do some Vor names have the emphasis
later? I've always been at a loss for how to
pronounce "Vorparadijs"....more Dec 19,
2015 09:07PM
ScottI believe
you'd be right on the former and I'll take a stab
at the latter: vor Para dees) would be my guess
as it's likely a derivative of the Greek nI believe you'd be right on the
former and I'll take a stab at the latter: vor
Para dees) would be my guess as it's likely a
derivative of the Greek name Paradijs pronounced
similarly....more May 19,
2016 10:16AM
I just recently watched The Tale of Princess
Kaguya and thought it very fine. I can also highly
rec The Story of Saiunkoku, and have also liked
the work of CLAMP.
I haven't had time to watch for a while, but I am
always interested in recs for the better-grade stuff.
(I don't have time to sort through the drek
myself.)
(A quick check finds none of your recs currently on
Netflix, my source, tho' they do offer a 1992 edition
of Arslan. Any relation?)
Nothing new to report at this time, although with a
Minnesota winter coming up, who knows? The launch of
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen in just six
weeks is going to be an enormous distraction, though
only for a while.
No, I was not aware of the jazz pianist. Quite a few
short, interesting people have been brought to my
attention by readers since Miles first appeared, but
none of them are sources.
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, I was told the e-version is
supposed to go up at the time of its release. I do not
know why there is not a page or pre-order option for
the e-book. So, Real Soon Now, but not quite yet. (The
e-version will also be available at www.baenebooks.com ,
when the eARC comes down.)
A bit later: I asked of Baen, and got this
expansion:
"The ebooks do not go on sale on Amazon as pre-orders.
They are all put up on the 16th of the month prior to
publication.
It is available now as a partial at Baen Ebooks, so
your readers can even get started if they want. The
entire download will become available on January
16.
All ebooks purchased at Baen Ebooks are perfectly
capable of being read on the Kindle. There are various
ways to do it, but the easiest by far is just to use
the book’s sales page to email it to your Kindle. I am
a Kindle guy, and I do this all the time. There are
instructions there on the page when you sign in with a
Baen Ebooks account. It’s very easy to do.
Otherwise, the ebook will be for sale January 16, 2016
on Amazon and other ebook sources including iBooks,
Kobo, B&N, etc."
AyI bought
the ARC from Baen. I was able to get it in a
format (?mobi? I'm not sure) which is I could
retrieve and read on my iPad using the kindle
app.I bought the ARC from Baen. I was
able to get it in a format (?mobi? I'm not sure)
which is I could retrieve and read on my iPad
using the kindle app....more Dec 31,
2015 08:05AM ·
flag
I have not yet received an offer from a French
publisher for the book, so, not soon. (It would have to
be licensed, then translated, then go through the
publication process -- this usually takes a year or
more.) Translations are a "buyer's market", thus not up
to me.
Mathieu
PommeryOk got it
^_^ Many thanks for this quick answer. I hope
they will contact you beacause i am not enough
good un english to read it Without translate
^_Ok got it ^_^ Many thanks
for this quick answer. I hope they will contact
you beacause i am not enough good un english to
read it Without translate ^_^ happy new year !
Mathieu...more Jan 04,
2016 10:35PM ·
flag
VoralfredWell, this
questio nwas long ago, bur it has indeed been
translated in French quite some time ago, in the
same collection as the "Integrale" of
previoWell, this questio nwas long ago,
bur it has indeed been translated in French quite
some time ago, in the same collection as the
"Integrale" of previoulsly published book,
Cryoburn and Captain Vorpatril's Alliance. The
short story "Flowers of Vashnui", contrarywise,
was never translated...more Oct 09,
2021 10:31PM ·
flag
We have not yet had an offer from any Croatian
publisher for Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen,
so, no news. You are probably in for another long wait,
I'm afraid.
Those are the sorts of details I normally leave each
reader to imagine for themselves, so you are free to
devise whatever pleases you. The great advantage of
this is that fans can have all the choices, not
just one.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, I don't have a full list of all Vor names on
Barrayar, Counts or otherwise. (Nor do I have a
30-volume leather-bound copy of the Encyclopedia
Barrayarica in my garage, though it is, I suppose,
a testament to my worldbuilding that so many people
seem to imagine I do.) There are more Vor family names
than there are countships. There has also been
historical turnover of clans in countships, for all the
possible reasons.
I have never established what's going on with the
government structure of South Continent, except that it
is not countships, new or old. When last heard from
they were directly held Imperial (not Count Vorbarra)
lands, presumably divided up as needed for local
government.
The terraforming of S. Continent continues as people
get to it. It will be a generations-long project.
There have to be more interesting big islands and
island chains as well, not mentioned yet... With
examples before us of Hawaii, Iceland, and New Zealand,
it rather seems to depend on what the plate tectonics
are doing; which could be more or less active than
Earth's.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'd
wanted to write a Barrayaran regency romance ever since
I awoke to the fact that Barrayar had this perfectly
good regency lying around. Aral Vorkosigan's regency
was long over by the time this book came along, but why
should that stop the parade? A lot of other elements
went into the book, not least Shakespearean comedy...
somewhere around is a long fannish discussion of them,
A Reader's Companion to A Civil Campaign. Aha,
free pdf is here -- http://dendarii.com/ACC-Companion.pdf
-- warning, large file.
At this point, I could write in any mode I wanted, so
long as I liked it enough to have internalized it. One
reader-reviewer even described Gentleman Jole and
the Red Queen as an SF-mainstream crossover, which
may be a bit of a stretch, but not for me to say.
Whatever the mode, it would have to be a story I
relished enough to slog through the bog of actually
writing.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nope; I had never heard of them before you told us just
now.
Jole came out of my head when I first invented the
character, back in about 1989. He acquired his first
name four or five years ago, when I began to develop
the ideas for his book, which I created in a common way
by generating a list of possible names and staring at
it till his name presented itself from the pack.
He came really close to being Perry, a nickname for
Perrin; dodged that bullet... Oliver suits him much
better.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
More anxious than relieved. Granted that the cover is
not embarrassing, and is actually thematically
emblematic of the story, and doesn't give readers
anything to complain about having "got wrong", but will
it sell?
What people claim they want, and what they actually
buy, may be less congruent than imagined.
SusanI buy
books primarily based on the author, secondarily
by an interesting blurb on the cover. The picture
on the cover barely comes into the
equation,I buy books primarily based on the
author, secondarily by an interesting blurb on
the cover. The picture on the cover barely comes
into the equation, except possibly that it caught
my eye in the first place. In your case, it would
be the name that caught my eye!...more Apr 21,
2016 09:50PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Oh, gosh. No secrets, no secret handshakes. Persons
looking for practical writing advice might do well to
start with Pat Wrede's blog or her book Wrede on
Writing.
As for me, there are two books that discourse at length
on the topics of how I write: The Vorkosigan
Companion, edited by Lillian Stewart Carl and John
Helfers, and my own Sidelines: Talks and Essays,
which is an e-book collection of most of my nonfiction
writings of the past three decades, which are generally
about writing. (I shall not retype them all
here...)
My work life has changed over the years as my life has
changed -- how I operated in the 80s was different from
the 90s, and again from the 00s, and is now very
different again as I work out what semi-retirement
means to me.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Good question; I 'd have to write a story to learn the
answer. It is among other things unknown how much
Horseriver was lying about that library, using it to
explain his knowledge actually acquired by living
through his times. It's also unknown if he left
whatever he possessed behind, or destroyed it, although
the progression of the story suggests the former. I'd
think the Temple would be first in line to seize
anything interesting, posthumously. I. & I. might get
to see it later...
Laura(I
suppose I had one other worthwhile question, but
it's only tangentially related to the above so
I'll make it a separate thing. This went all
Horser(I suppose I had one other
worthwhile question, but it's only tangentially
related to the above so I'll make it a separate
thing. This went all Horseriver-y and, well. If
you ever want to ping a random willing person
about that book/world/etc, I Am Here, but I
suspect I've eaten up enough of your time on the
subject of almost-cradle-robbing liches.)...more Jan 19,
2016 09:49AM ·
flag
Byrd NashHorseriver
is a liar who lies! Don't trust anything he has
to say. He probably only collected books that he
wrote in his former lifetimes so he couldHorseriver is a liar who lies!
Don't trust anything he has to say. He probably
only collected books that he wrote in his former
lifetimes so he could gloat over them....more Mar 04,
2021 06:49AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, Arde and the pilot Cordelia suborned/hijacked are
intended to be the same -- one feels that his
unfortunate encounter with Cordelia was the beginning
of the slippery career slope that ended with the poor
schmuck in the heap where Miles found him.
I don't totally insist on the interpretation, but
really why not? Parsimony and all that.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
had a wonderful trip to NZ in 2003 for the national SF
convention in Auckland, and was able to tack on a
10-day tour of South Island, and I've also had a great
trip to Australia, to Perth for Swancon... 23, iirc.
I'd love to go back, but I'm afraid the airplane ride
would be excruciating given all my wonderful new
arthritis issues. I can't sleep on planes; coming back
from Perth to Minneapolis entailed being awake for 36
hours. You know all those people who say they wish they
had a 48-hour day? No, really, they don't.
Hot actually sounds good right about now, though.
Minus-17 F. predicted here tonight.
Lois McMaster
BujoldAssuming you already know about
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, I can only
answer with what is becoming my usual mantra: nothing
is planned, nothing is in progress, and nothing is
ruled out.
This essay was written just a few years pre-Kindle and
the e-books marketing revolution, which is a whole
'nother conversation and then some. (The link at the
end of the essay to the old City Pages interview is
long dead.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldIt's unclear if you've found
The Hallowed Hunt yet, or the novella "Penric's
Demon", both set in the same world but in different
time periods and with completely different casts of
characters (except the gods.)
Yeah, I think most everyone likes a trickster figure,
especially including storytellers.
My The Sharing Knife tetralogy has a
deliberately different "voice", as suited to its world,
but it is more fantasy.
I have no news on future work at this time. No
promises, nothing in progress, nothing ruled out.
ELol!
That's so great. I've read his Night Watch series
but now will have to look into the Genome.Lol! That's so great. I've read
his Night Watch series but now will have to look
into the Genome....more Jan 24,
2016 10:23AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I haven't read The Attenbury Emeralds, so I have
no idea. (You may be asking the wrong author.) The
British have a general mania for gardens, though, so I
don't see any necessary connection.
Lois McMaster
BujoldIt's basically some species of
doughnut, either bread or cake, bakery or street-food
version. Funnel cakes from the State Fair are yet
another type. Local variations in the recipes may be
expected to be numberless.
Gwendolyn
PattonThe
original Dutch name for a doughnut was "olycoke",
which literally means "oil cake".The original Dutch name for a
doughnut was "olycoke", which literally means
"oil cake"....more Nov 23,
2017 06:33AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Having just re-copy-edited all 17 of them for the new
e-covers last summer, I should have an answer for this,
but it's still a surprisingly difficult frequently
asked question. But I suppose Memory and A
Civil Campaign are the front runners.
Lois McMaster
BujoldHave you found my 2015 novella
"Penric's Demon" yet? (It's available as an e-book in
the Kindle, Nook, and iBook stores, and now also as an
audiobook.)
Aside from that, nothing is promised and nothing is
ruled out.
Steven
SarafianOK, not a
promise, but an indication; your announcement of
the book signing at Dreamhaven does mention "a
short reading from a new Penric tale". So
weOK, not a promise, but an
indication; your announcement of the book signing
at Dreamhaven does mention "a short reading from
a new Penric tale". So we have reason to
hope....more Jan 27,
2016 06:40AM ·
flag
BethI read the
question as "visiting" the world of Chalion--in
person!I read the question as "visiting"
the world of Chalion--in person!...more Jan 29,
2016 10:44AM ·
flag
AndreaFingers
crossed! Thank you for all your wonderful work,
I'm re reading all the Miles books getting ready
for Gentleman Jole.Fingers crossed! Thank you for all
your wonderful work, I'm re reading all the Miles
books getting ready for Gentleman Jole....more Feb 03,
2016 08:46PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It's a real-world name (you can Google it) , so it
likely has some official pronunciation somewhere, but I
pronounce it "sipis" but with a little touch of the
tongue to the back of the incisors just before the
s.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
In general, SFnal audiences do not care for stupid
protagonists, unless it's a tragedy like Flowers for
Algernon. After all, the tacit understanding is
that readers are expected to identify with the
protagonists, and if there's one thing the SF crowd
valorizes above all others, it's brains. They also
don't much care for stupid antagonists. So that
role is pretty much relegated to side characters.
That's not to say even smart characters can't make
mistakes or have biases; they just do it on a higher
and trickier level. When a smart man sets out to fool
himself, he has to be really convincing. I believe
Michael Shermer has some whole books on this
subject.
The other authorial trick is of course to make the
protagonist young and inexperienced, in which case the
story arc must include them becoming less so.
Inexperience can be fixed; stupidity, almost by
definition, can't, since it pretty much consists of
not learning better.
There is also a psychological mechanism whereby people
defend themselves from information or learning that
threatens their self-identity; also not the same thing
as unintelligent since it happens at every IQ
level.
VijayThat's a
great explanation. I guess I wanted to see from a
stupid protagonist POV because I wanted to see
how a stupid but determined character can
stThat's a great explanation.
I guess I wanted to see from a stupid protagonist
POV because I wanted to see how a stupid but
determined character can still achieve their
goals and how their worldview is formed
acknowledging their limitations and working with
it. I guess I have read some examples of such
characters in fantasy, where they are fixed in
their thinking and know it and just work
accordingly rather than adapt to their dynamic
circumstances....more Jan 31,
2016 07:07PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
two Mayhews are optionally the same fellow -- a
probability that I do not insist upon. If the two are
one, both the issues you mention got worked out
sometime, well before Miles's wedding, but I do not
know when or how.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I think they may have shown up a few times, but very
seldom. I don't remember my dreams well, except for a
few I'd rather forget; most of them seem to be about
travel traumas. Or home repair traumas. I have spent
more time in insanely snarled airports in dreams than
in my waking life.
Alas, my dreams have never been any help at all in
figuring out my stories, except that if I don't get
enough sleep (very common these days with chronic
insomnia) I can't write. Or think. Or move, much.
Which makes me wonder, does anybody else have
useful dreams about my characters?
JuliaThank you
both for the comments. So cool. I didn't find
them until recently. I have had dreams that
conflated Her Honor LMB with her character
CordeliThank you both for the comments.
So cool. I didn't find them until recently. I
have had dreams that conflated Her Honor LMB with
her character Cordelia. I have wished fervently
to have dream adventures with Miles et al., but
alas . . . that's what the next books (or those
of other author's) are for....more Sep 16,
2021 11:54AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyI
sometimes remember my dreams, and occasionally
have sf-influenced dreams, but I don't remember
dreams involving specific fictional characters,
nor (I sometimes remember my dreams,
and occasionally have sf-influenced dreams, but I
don't remember dreams involving specific
fictional characters, nor (oddly enough) dreams
involving the use of magic. If I recorded my
dreams more diligently and systematically, I'd
have more data; but I doubt that my dreams are
really worth the trouble....more Aug 08,
2022 09:46AM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I recently finished Gentleman Jole and
the Red Queen and I found it interesting thinking back on
Miles' books that were set during Aral's Prime
Ministership and wondering when the idea for Jole's
character came to you. Was this additional relationship
always part of Cordelia and Aral's story (and simply not
present due to Miles' POV) or was realizing it would slot
in naturally what led to the writing of this book?
(hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
notion of Jole's character and relationships existed
ever since he popped onstage in The Vor Game,
which I wrote back in 1989. But that wasn't what the
books I was writing then were about. So the
ideas rode along through time in a potential reservoir
of story that I dub "Schrodinger's Cat Carrier". No
telling whether a story-cat is alive or dead till I
open the box to actually write it.
Then there followed those several years when I was
writing the seven fantasies for HarperCollins, and
didn't think I'd ever get back to the Vorkosiverse at
all. But then I wrote Cryoburn at a special
request from Toni Weisskopf following Jim Baen's death,
and then Ivan's book because it seemed like it would be
fun. And by that time, 2011 or so, I realized the cat
was definitely alive, and yowling to get out. So, to
continue the physics metaphor, it was both preexisting
and slotted in; both a wave and a particle.
I think Ron Miller was very proud of those covers, and
pleased to get the chance to do something outside of
his usual range. (Plus, there's always the chance that
some visitor to your office will see them and ask,
"What's this...?")
SusanVery nice
covers! Most of my books have been purchased from
the SF Book Club, except for 3 or 4; I belonged
to that book club for many years until jusVery nice covers! Most of my books
have been purchased from the SF Book Club, except
for 3 or 4; I belonged to that book club for many
years until just recently giving up on them.
Their covers were by various artists; I recall
Gary Ruddell did several - can't think of others
offhand. People always complain about book club
covers in general, but I didn't think they were
all that bad. (Notable exception - the one that
pictured McCaffrey's dragons with steering
wheels. Egad.) None as striking as these,
however, I will admit!...more Apr 21,
2016 08:52PM ·
flag
StarsreaderInteresting
covers, never seen em before... Jul 05,
2016 12:39PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I hadn't seen that one, but reports of attempts at the
tech have popped up from time to time for years. I hope
one of them finally works!
I have occasionally reflected that the future we get
will not be the best of all possibles, but merely the
one people are willing to pay for.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'd say gratifying rather than thrilling. (I do hope
some of my more horrific hypothetical inventions do NOT
come to pass!) I show what I do mainly for plot
reasons; after that, practicality and likelihood do
come into play.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I should point out, vat meat has been a science fiction
staple for decades; it's not original to me. There have
been a number of attempts at it reported in the news,
but I don't think the production and marketing are
ready to compete, yet.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, one of them was certainly getting back too late
from Kibou-danii to see Aral again, and say all those
last things he wanted to say. (And, his night thought
whispers, if only I had been there at that moment maybe
I might have saved him somehow...) The death of Bothari
is certainly one, which Cordelia does know. The death
of the pilot officer may be up there; Miles may believe
she doesn't know about it. I think she might. Miles's
career-destroying lie to Simon Illyan is high on the
list, though possibly not the highest. Going after Mark
on Jackson's Whole , or at least the way he did it.
Really, he's spoiled for choice, and readers can pretty
much fill it in as they please. Not to mention the
option of off-stage events we haven't seen.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Which con goes with those initials? I'm guessing Bay
(Area) SF, but it's all a blur by now.
No, not tempted. Fans are great, but travel
hurts. I have chronic nightmares about airports.
(Although seldom airplanes, as such. Apparently, I am
not afraid of flying, but am of the TSA.)
Peter MeekI'm not
/afraid/ of TSA, but am totally unwilling to be
treated like a criminal just because I want to
fly somewhere. (Haven't flown for the past 20
yI'm not /afraid/ of TSA, but
am totally unwilling to be treated like a
criminal just because I want to fly somewhere.
(Haven't flown for the past 20 years or so,
although I did enjoy the actual flying.)...more Mar 03,
2016 04:40AM ·
flag
DerekLois, I
live in Saint Paul and sometimes travel for work.
I hear what others are saying and feel for them,
but fortunately MSP seems to be a little
beLois, I live in Saint Paul
and sometimes travel for work. I hear what others
are saying and feel for them, but fortunately MSP
seems to be a little better. I've had my bag
searched a few times (once I forgot to put a
laptop battery in one of the x-ray bins, another
time was work equipment, and another time for
personal travel my wife's CPAP, and a couple of
times I've forgotten to sort through the things
in my pockets and tried to walk through with a
pocket knife) but they've always been nice,
professional, and had a reason to stop me. I am
white, but I've been in line with lots of people
of other color and have never witnessed
harassment or any visible profiling, and I try to
keep an eye out for that kind of thing.
I've seen the TSA agents joke around with each
other, I even helped one play a very mild prank
on another (complimented an agent on doing a good
job searching my bag on their first day, when it
clearly wasn't - they knew exactly who to
berate). They're just people. So it could be that
MSP is different because it's a major hub for
Delta or because of MN Nice, I don't know. At any
rate, as long as crowds don't make you too
nervous, don't let the TSA hold you back from
trying to fly - you may be pleasantly
surprised.
Also, some mention bad experiences with
international travel, and for that I would agree.
My interactions with the border patrol have not
been fun, though for me and my coworkers the
border patrol have always been mostly
professional. Except for the time coming back
from Quebec City when the guard asked if we were
a gay couple and we couldn't tell if he was
joking or not. The story of the person being
asked if they planned prostitution during their
layover is downright horrifying. But those jerks
are not regular TSA agents as far as I am aware,
so domestic travel has advantages over
international travel unfortunately....more Oct 11,
2016 07:00AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldNo,
The Warrior's Apprentice was, hm, three books
and three years before Brothers in Arms. I don't
think one can draw a connection, there. Publicly, of
course, Mark was supposed to have been perceived as
"Miles goes nuts", not as "Miles's unexpected younger
brother".
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Galen is a fairly common name, going back to Roman
times, where it was attached to a famous physician and
medical writer. For Komarrans, I wanted
Italian-flavored names, to evoke Venice.
Megan Whalen Turner has a physician minor character
named Galen somewhere in her YA fantasy series starting
with The Thief, which your son might be ready
for in a year or so. I expect she was also thinking of
the noted Roman.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This is the sort of detail I leave up to the readers'
imaginations, although my own description of Barrayaran
traditional fashions runs to "Ruritanian". As The
Prisoner of Zenda was set in a fictional middle
European country and written by an Englishman, both of
your ideas for sources have merit.
Or I suppose, you could go in Betan sarongs... :-) Your
climate may not permit.
rivka"Predicted"
is far too strong a word. This is theoretical
conjecture, supported with computer modelling
based on additional conjectures, like string
t"Predicted" is far too
strong a word. This is theoretical conjecture,
supported with computer modelling based on
additional conjectures, like string theory. And
which has yet to be duplicated, because so far
there are a vanishingly small number of computers
powerful enough to do the necessary
calculations.
I have a lot of respect for theoretical
physicists; my dad is one. But this research is
not yet proof of anything, and most assuredly not
of FTL travel -- which isn't even mentioned in
the article, nor I do see any obvious connection.
(Anyway, wormholes are a more likely scenario
than black holes for survivable FTL in any
case.)
It is very interesting research, though....more Mar 02,
2016 06:47PM ·
flag
This answer
contains spoilers… (view
spoiler)[It's a little unclear just what
aspect of my endings you are objecting to. Ethan
Urquhart and Terrance Cee ended up in a happy,
homosexual, harmonious satisfying relationship, which
I don't regard as any less unrealistic and untrue
than any other characters' fates. (Well, the
telepathy thing is arguable.) How to typify Lord Dono
I leave for others to debate. Utau, Razi, and Sarri
were in a longstanding poly relationship, as were
Aral, Oliver, and Cordelia for many years. Umegat and
Daris clearly had experienced an exceptionally rough
time, but they seemed to have come to a quiet harbor
when last seen by the narrative. I don't see how
anyone could have regarded Ekaterin and Tien as
happy, hetero though they certainly were. Abbot
Monreale was apparently celibate, etc., etc.
Given "all true wealth is biological", really, a
happy ending that consisted of the main character
crowing alone atop a big pile of cash, or bodies, or
whatever his solipsistic goal, would seem peculiarly
unsatisfying. Riches or revenge are all very well,
but most readers wouldn't want to place them at the
top of a hierarchy of values. Even enhanced
bio-social status, the primary goal of the
protagonists in most coming-of-age tales, requires a
context of other people to exist and be
meaningful.
So the greatest reward for any character's struggles
is usually found in another human or humans. (Or, in
F&SF, sympathetic other sentient being.) The
payoff might be romantic or sexual, embodied in an
individual or other configuration, it might be
achieving or saving a family, or becoming part of a
team or making good friends. Or just showing one's
doubters what-for. Lots and lots of ways to play
it.
But for true realism in the end, if one follows any
character out far enough, what they end up as is
dead. And the greater the happiness, the more
devastating that final truncation of it, as Cordelia
and Oliver found. All happy endings are ultimately an
illusion created by stopping short. (Or by jumping to
a new point of view, I suppose, navigating nimbly
away from death after some next-generation
fashion.)
Jonathan
PalfreyI've
noticed that most (not all) of the characters
seem to end up happily married, or equivalent.
This may not be the human norm, but it's still
whatI've noticed that most (not all)
of the characters seem to end up happily married,
or equivalent. This may not be the human norm,
but it's still what we think of as the norm; and
I like happy endings, so I'm not complaining.
Most of the relationships are the conventional
man-and-woman (which is the human norm), but not
all of them. That's fine for me....more Dec 27,
2021 10:19AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyI think
the happiest ending achievable is to live a happy
life until you suddenly, unexpectedly, and
instantly drop dead. Your friends may be sad
abouI think the happiest ending
achievable is to live a happy life until you
suddenly, unexpectedly, and instantly drop dead.
Your friends may be sad about it, but that’s
their problem!...more Oct 16,
2024 02:23PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
KINDLE edition from Spectrum is legit, and you are fine
with it. The audio edition from Blackstone and Audible
is also properly licensed.
However, earlier this month (Feb. 2016) some scammer
put out a shoddy print-on-demand edition through
Amazon's self-publishing arm, CreateSpace, which is
just the e-book grepped and put through the system.
This PoD paper edition is stolen. I don't know how many
copies the scammers have managed to shift so far.
My agent is working on getting attention from Amazon to
get it taken down, so I expect it to disappear in due
course, with luck before too many more readers are
taken in.
Later this year, there will be a legitimate paper
edition from Subterranean Press, which will be a very
nice hardcover chapbook -- I just saw a preview of the
cover art, which is striking. More announcements on
that as things get finalized.
Meanwhile, please do not purchase the CreateSpace
print-on-demand version. If you have bought it in
error, Amazon does make returns easy (I've returned a
couple of book purchases myself, for printing
glitches.) "I found out this edition was stolen" is a
good reason for a return, I would think. Send it back
and recover your money.
I just read Penric's Demon (my only Five Gods book so
far), and loved it. My question is related to gender and
sexuality. There are several indications in the book that
Pen, so far a straight youth, is starting to find men
attractive under the influence of Desdemona (particularly
Rusillin). Is it possible that Pen will end up becoming
bisexual, and Desdemona in turn a bi-gendered, bisexual
demon? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldInsofar and as long as the two
remain separate, what they are going to have is a
perpetual argument. What practical compromises they
eventually work out are at this point unknown.
(Pen's noticing of Rusillin was not attraction, but
worried jealousy, btw. He was unconsciously afraid Des
might like the more powerful man better.)
Demons don't have a sex; Des is no more whatever-sexual
than "she" is horse-sual or lion-sual. One might argue
that demons perform gender, I suppose. But all these 12
layers of experience are imprinted upon her, and
simultaneously available to her multiplex personality.
That said, demons do have an appetite for experiencing
the physical through their human (or animal) hosts.
It is unknown if a demon could end up, however
temporarily, in a tree or plant. That would certainly
be their last choice, if so.
Judging from the book's reviews, about 20% of my
readers would cry "Noes!" to your last question. But in
fact, I don't know what will interest me next. I think
I'm due for a long stint of general cultural
filter-feeding, in order to find out.
Kim LangleyCame back
to this discussion to find a gladness in not
being alone! Drisanna, many thanks for the offer
to go halfsies! Mar 08,
2016 11:25PM ·
flag
SusanAnother
older-than-dirt reader here who has read the
Vorkosigan series multiple times. I love the fact
that the characters keep evolving (although I
wAnother older-than-dirt
reader here who has read the Vorkosigan series
multiple times. I love the fact that the
characters keep evolving (although I was sad to
see Aral go - I loved him.) As for the wish to go
back to Miles at 30 - you have covered all that
pretty thoroughly already. I enjoyed all the
books, but the young Miles occasionally got a bit
frustrating. Rather like the kid in that TV SF
show long ago who could be counted on to get into
something he shouldn't and cause trouble and have
to be rescued by someone. Now that I think about
it, there may be several kids like that on TV SF
- I'm not even sure which one(s) I'm thinking of
now. Anyway, I was happy when Miles finally
started growing up and dealing with some of his
problems instead of letting them run away with
them. (Must admit the stories made good reading,
though!)...more Apr 21,
2016 08:12PM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Totally enjoyed Gentleman Jole & the Red
Queen. (I predict an art exhibit "Aral at 100" on the AO3
fan fiction site). Are you going to make use of the
"ghost fleet" in future? Seems you have a Betan Captain,
two Admirals, potentially, 17 family cadets and the
universe to explore. :). (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This literary universe goes off in all directions, as
far as the eye can see... I, alas, do not stretch that
far. I have at this time no idea what I'm going to
write next, if anything; right now I think I'm due for
new input, but such can only go into my brain so fast
before memory formation can't keep up.
When I look at the knowledge glut available to me
here-and-now, I feel as though I've been taken into a
giant grocery store and told I have to eat all the food
on the shelves. Just... can't... do it...
No, I don't have any more formal signings scheduled at
this time. (Hence no current listing, it being a null
set.) If I acquire any, I'll post the info on my
Goodreads blog.
For readers who just want signed copies or, with some
extra waiting, signed and personalized, Uncle Hugo's
Science Fiction Bookstore here in Minneapolis keeps
most of my titles signed in stock.
Do all the cosplay, or other fanac, you want -- just
don't ask me to design anything... :-)
(There has been a great deal of Vorkosiverse and other
costuming done over time -- people may have some
pictures up online. Feel free to share links
below.)
I am a long time fan and would firstly like to thank you
for the universes you have produced for our
enjoyment.
I find myself wondering about Duv Galeni. In 'Memory' and
'Kommar' it is mentioned that Duv and Miles worked a case
together on Kommar and Miles helped Duv with a memorial
burning for his Aunt. My question is am I missing a
novella? Or is this event entirely 'off-page'?
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This was off-stage; nothing ever written. In the same
bag as the politician, the lighthouse, and the trained
cormorant, I'm afraid.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I am the person least qualified to answer this, I
suspect. A recent reviewer suggested the two Cordelia
books followed by Gentleman Jole would make a
good trilogy, and I concur, whether as refreshment or
first-read. Prior references to Jole are scattered in
The Vor Game, Cryoburn (brief -- four
words -- but extremely significant, if one thinks about
it), and Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, but I'm
not sure they're necessary.
But -- I say again, probably fruitlessly --
Gentleman Jole is also readable as a
stand-alone, complete in this kit, batteries included.
A reader doesn't have to have read any other
Vorkosigan book, or, indeed, any other Bujold book, to
read this one.
(The two reasons to turn aside are if said new reader
is planning to read the others, and doesn't want
spoilers (although there would still be plenty of
surprises), or if the reader is one of those strongly
averse to finding romance in their SF.)
So, short version: stand-alone, or the Cordelia
Trilogy.
CathinkaI've
followed the saga from the very beginning and
have no problem now, on catching up. In some ways
it is good that it has been years since I read
abI've followed the saga from
the very beginning and have no problem now, on
catching up. In some ways it is good that it has
been years since I read about Cordelia , she is
now in a way, a fresh character in my mind. She
is different from the Cordelia I remember, but
not too different. I did think a few pages in,
that knowing the "Vorkosigan terminology"
beforehand is a good thing as I don't have
any problems catching up on "stuff".
Sorry for my clumsy explanation. I read english
far better than I speak or write it. Hope you get
my meaning none the less. PS: love the book so
far....more Mar 23,
2016 07:47AM ·
flag
AndrewI reread
both Cordelia books, then the key Miles books (in
my opinion: Warrior's Apprentice, Vor Game,
Mountains of Mourning, Labyrinth, Borders of
InI reread both Cordelia
books, then the key Miles books (in my opinion:
Warrior's Apprentice, Vor Game, Mountains of
Mourning, Labyrinth, Borders of Infinity, then
jumped ahead to Memory, perhaps my favorite.) I
stopped at Memory as the rest featured less
character development and/or were fresher in my
mind. Reading Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen
right after Memory felt right. I especially
appreciated how Memory ended on Aral giving Miles
the recognition he always wanted. I feel like
that was the last meaningful interaction they had
in the novels. Memory was a high point -
thoroughly enjoyable, full of character
development, established the recurring themes of
later books around romance, family, mortality,
and identity, and for good reason is the highest
rated in the Vorkosigan saga on Goodreads....more Apr 09,
2016 04:17PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't actually know the answer to this question. I've
certainly seen feedback from almost every conceivable
F&SF-reading demographic, but I don't know what
proportions they fall in. I've had fan mail from
readers aged 11 to 84.
Family, and domesticity generally, tend very much to be
spurned in these genres, certainly as positive
portrayals or central subjects. I have a theory that
this has its roots in SF-as-bildungsroman, where the
primary psychological work of the protagonist (and of
the identifying reader) is of separation from
the family in order to achieve adult autonomy. Romance
is the psychological opposite, the work of recreating
the family, hence the often-seen antagonism between the
two modes. So is romance or the private sphere felt as
a threat to that autonomy, rather than its fruition?
Good question for a paper, I think. (Not written by
me.)
So, yeah, in my search for story ideas that aren't the
same as the stories everyone else is writing, these
themes recognizing the domestic are certainly
under-explored ground.
Mind you, my original thinking was not so developed. It
ran more to something like, "It seems as if every other
hero or heroine is an orphan. Let's give my guy
a family he can't so narrative-conveniently escape, and
then see what happens..."
SteveLooking
back at this answer, I think it is among the most
important ones you have given, to give me an
appreciation of one of the great differences
inLooking back at this answer,
I think it is among the most important ones you
have given, to give me an appreciation of one of
the great differences in your writing....more Sep 18,
2017 07:54PM ·
flag
Peggy BWhen my son
was 13 /14 and I gave him Warrior's Apprentice to
read, he said, "Why do I want to read about a
crippled up little guy?" {He also was doinWhen my son was 13 /14 and I gave
him Warrior's Apprentice to read, he said, "Why
do I want to read about a crippled up little
guy?" {He also was doing D&D at that time and
his character was a dwarf :-) } Then I have him
the first books on a CD that came with one of the
first edition print Vor novels I got when he was
in his late 20's and he loved them. Different
developmental ages and needs....more Feb 26,
2018 03:54PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I expect lactation in the Vorkosiverse is a matter of
choice; the hormones etc. could certainly be made to
sit up and behave if personal lactation was wanted (by
any gender, actually), with the tech shown. As yet
another alternative, vat-created human breast milk
would also be feasible. Different places and times
would pursue different fads. In all, more choices, more
conscious decisions for the poor beleaguered
parent.
(I have had occasion to reflect that the female
mammalian body is actually a device for filtering
nutrition from the environment through to the next
generation, both pre- and postpartum. Evolution, so
strange...)
MreenI think
the uterine replicator is the answer to most of
our social problems and a lot of
marriages Apr 16,
2016 08:58AM ·
flag
DerekI don't
know that I would go that far. For example, I
wouldn't consider it a solution for
overpopulation.I don't know that I would go that
far. For example, I wouldn't consider it a
solution for overpopulation....more Apr 16,
2016 09:40AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I am no gardener myself, but we may assume it was a mix
of local native and imported plants -- the planet,
while new, has still had 40 years for people to find
some things that work. People were probably
transplanting the things they liked to look at to the
places they wanted to look within 15 minutes of arrival
(and making a few mistakes, too.) I expect she gave
thought to not letting invasive species loose. (Well,
apart from her fellow humans.)
The Gridgrad area was a newer local ecosystem for
settlement, so would take a bit more research, but even
there, there were people there before her.
CathinkaI
had ro rearrange my brain to your point of view
and not start reffering to rabbits and fences and
such in Australia. I decided to not be so
stuck-upI had ro rearrange my brain to
your point of view and not start reffering to
rabbits and fences and such in Australia. I
decided to not be so stuck-up on science. A new
planet would be enjoyed and lived on and not
turned into some museum just to be looked at from
a safe distance. Cool....more Mar 26,
2016 12:00PM
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I just finished Gentleman Jole and the
Red Queen, and my husband was just reading your earlier
work where Jole was first mentioned (The Vor Game?). I'm
curious whether you had Jole and Aral's romantic life in
mind back then, or if that was something you decided on
later.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, if I'm speaking to prospective readers
one-on-one, I usually ask them a few questions about
their reading preferences, and take them into account.
Do they prefer fantasy or SF? Love or loathe romance
tropes? Like mysteries? War stories? Coming-of-age
tales, or older heroes? Prefer male or female
protagonists? Want a long series or a stand-alone? Are
they spoiler sensitive or don't care? Etc.
Short answer is Shards of Honor for the SF,
The Curse of Chalion for fantasy, The Sharing
Knife, Vol. 1: Beguilement for fantasy/romance, or
The Spirit Ring for a stand-alone with a YA
vibe. That cuts it down to 4; flip a coin twice if
nothing jumps out at you. Some of these books have been
around for a long time, and I hope will continue to be
so. They'll wait for you to catch up. The only wrong
choice would be not to read any.
AmyCat
/ BookUniverseI've
successfully hooked several customers on your
books with FALLING FREE and ETHAN OF ATHOS, which
overcome frequent customer complaints ("I don't
wI've successfully hooked
several customers on your books with FALLING FREE
and ETHAN OF ATHOS, which overcome frequent
customer complaints ("I don't want to start in
the middle of a series!" and "Are any of hers
'stand-alones'?"). Even though both of these are
part of the Vorkosigan universe, neither require
any knowledge of the other books in the
series....more Jun 16,
2016 07:56PM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyHell, you
can start just about anywhere, although starting
more than halfway through the Vorkosigan Saga may
get you wondering about the history of alHell, you can start just about
anywhere, although starting more than halfway
through the Vorkosigan Saga may get you wondering
about the history of all these characters. You
could perfectly well start the fantasy books with
"The Hallowed Hunt", which is set earlier in time
than any of the others, so it has no back story:
all the characters are new. Although none of its
characters reappear later, either, because
there's a big gap in time before the next
book....more Jul 04,
2022 04:20PM ·
flag
I'm not sure I actually see the point of e-boxed sets,
when all the e-titles of a series are equally and
simultaneously e-available. For paper books, boxed sets
circumvent book vendors' maddening habit of not having
all the books, or the earlier books, available on the
shelves simultaneously, so that anyone's attention that
is caught, say, by Book #4 is thwarted from starting at
the beginning and so doesn't start at all. E-vendors,
with their infinite virtual shelf space, don't have
that problem in the first place, thankfully.
So any reader can fill in the blanks any time, in any
order, a la carte.
E-boxed sets, which are in effect e-omnibuses, have the
opposite problem of readers complaining that they'd
bought such-and-such a title previously, and why should
they have to pay for it twice, or the worse one of
mistaking the omnibus for a new title, ditto. I think
it's safer just to put all the books out as coherently
as possible (hence the new e-cover treatments), and let
readers choose for themselves.
For reading order and the Did-I-get-them-all?
questions, there's this:
AmyCat
/ BookUniverseAs a
bookseller, I'd ask that you not blame "book
vendors" for not having the whole series
available. I can only stock what the publishers
keep in priAs a bookseller, I'd ask that you
not blame "book vendors" for not having the whole
series available. I can only stock what the
publishers keep in print! I ordered bunches of
CRYOBURN when it was still in print in hardcover,
specifically because it included a Baen CD-ROM
with e-book copies of just about all the other
Vorkosigan titles, and kept re-stocking
CORDELIA'S HONOR (the SHARDS OF HONOR + BARRAYAR
omnibus) and YOUNG MILES (omnibus of the first
two Miles titles) as long as I could get them,
but BOTH are now out of print. Now, instead of
mass-markets of the "backlist", they're being
phased out in favor of trade paperbacks at twice
the price which are NOT omnibus editions, so
instead of paying $16 ($7.99 x 2) to get the
first FOUR Cordelia & Miles titles, it'll now
cost $16 EACH ($64) for the same books. :-(
For those seeking used copies, I recommend
Biblio.com, which, unlike ABEbooks, isn't an
AMazon subsidiary. They have many of the books as
cheap as $1 each (listings from thrift shops and
charity resellers)....more Jun 16,
2016 07:49PM ·
flag
SusanBut watch
out for the 'cheap' books from thrift shops or
even booksellers - they may offer the book for $1
or even less, but then charge $4.99 to
shipBut watch out for the 'cheap'
books from thrift shops or even booksellers -
they may offer the book for $1 or even less, but
then charge $4.99 to ship it to you. That's why I
prefer book depository....more May 23,
2019 10:12PM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Greetings Ms McMaster Bujold, Thank you
so much for taking ?s --
Wondering how Ma Kosti is doing? Retired & spoiling
grandchildren somewhere? Or still cooking for Miles'
family & guests at Vorkosigan House? We know she's not
dependent on a job for money since she got shares for her
expert butter bug recipes ... how rich might she now be?
(Her own cooking show vids)? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Another job for Fanficwoman, but if one posits Ma Kosti
was no older than about 50 when we first meet her, she
could easily have a 20-year career at VK House before
she started to slow down too much, or even more if she
spent most of her later time directing and teaching her
minions. Since being a Ma Kosti minion would in due
course have been recognized as a great way to launch a
high-level cooking career in Vorbarr Sultana, minions
would not be in short supply.
Cooking show vids would indeed not be out of the
question. She's a shrewd woman and doing well, but wise
enough not to give up the actual cooking, which is her
art, for money management, which is a mere necessary
chore. But, really any woman with four kids and some
unknown number of grandchildren would have no trouble
finding ways to dispose of excess money, or having it
disposed of for her.
TylerI agree
with Di French! Just re-read all books again
recently. Apr 07,
2016 12:14PM ·
flag
This
question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[In Mirror Dance, two Duronas close to
Miles are Lilly and Rowan, reminding me of Lily Rowan,
sometime girlfriend of Archie Goodwin in Rex Stout's Nero
Wolfe stories. Probably coincidence, I thought. Then, in
Memory, a character muses that Miles was ... "not quite
dead enough." The phrase was even set apart from the rest
of the sentence. It is, of course, the title of a Wolfe
novel. Easter egg, or coincidence again? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldCoincidence, I believe. Although
I did read a pile of the Rex Stout books decades ago, I
don't remember either of those. The Duronas were just
two of several flower and bird names in the clan.
Lois McMaster
Bujold"The dog who did nothing in the
night time" is (a bit garbled by by the time it gets to
Fyodor and Jole) a famous quote from the Sherlock
Holmes story "Silver Blaze". To quote from memory, so
possibly inexact:
SH: I would draw your attention, Watson, to the curious
incident of the dog in the nighttime.
Alealea@Mreen
I concurr ! the only one I ever found in an used
book store was Cetaganda...
And I ditched it myself 5 months later when I
bought the omnibus...@Mreen
I concurr ! the only one I ever found in an used
book store was Cetaganda...
And I ditched it myself 5 months later when I
bought the omnibus.... :$ (less)...more Aug 08,
2016 04:11AM ·
flag
DerekAmusingly/confusingly
enough, I just saw an advertisement for this on
Skype and ended up clicking on it just in case it
had something to do with whereAmusingly/confusingly enough, I
just saw an advertisement for this on Skype and
ended up clicking on it just in case it had
something to do with where your quote came from.
Unfortunately it does not appear so, but the name
is so close it seems almost too much for
coincidence.
http://www.broadway.com/shows/curious......more Oct 19,
2016 10:21PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThat story has always been
backstory. I never had plans to expand it, aside from
the bit I added in Gentlemen Jole and the Red
Queen during the conversation on the visit to the
Prince Serg, which was more about history, and a
comment on how our picture of the world changes and
becomes less simple as we learn more about it, which
was a running theme through that whole book. I have so
far only seen one review which understood the full
implications of that scene, though.
I've done a couple of in-series prequels with Miles.
(Barrayar doesn't quite count because about the
first third was written as part of the initial draft of
Shards of Honor, then set aside for several
years.) I find them rather constraining, as instead of
just fitting into the series at one end, they have to
fit at both ends, which restricts the development of
the story-line and especially the growth of the
characters. And then there's the question of why
characters in later books written earlier never think
about the events of the prequel, which restricts things
even further.
This would be less of an issue with a deep backstory
story, I suppose. But I am currently quite tired of war
stories. And the bookstore shelves are crammed with
them already. There is no shortage; I don't need to
spend my limited time making more of the same. Books
used to be able to be about something else, I'm
pretty sure. I'd prefer to explore in that direction,
or some path even less traveled.
ScottYes,
Please! More "something other than war". I may be
the statistical anomaly but I'm a straight male
who loves good old fashioned "talkie" books
andYes, Please! More "something other
than war". I may be the statistical anomaly but
I'm a straight male who loves good old fashioned
"talkie" books and I've always loved the way you
write both internal monologues and external
dialogue. There are lots of great war books but
characters, dialogue, and descriptions like yours
are so rare that I can't do anything other than
applaud "something else". Have at it!...more Apr 21,
2016 11:10PM ·
flag
RachelDira
Sudis, on Archive of Our Own, has some good
Bujold fanfic - you should look up 'Tactical
Shit' for a short story featuring General
PiotrDira Sudis, on Archive of Our Own,
has some good Bujold fanfic - you should look up
'Tactical Shit' for a short story featuring
General Piotr...more Apr 28,
2016 02:52AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldMostly, I think, Miles happened.
I had some vague plans for more, but the next thing I
tackled was Brothers in Arms, and after that one
thing led to another. By the time I reached a point
where I might circle back and pick it up again, the
material had gone pretty cold, and I wanted to do
something new. (Which I eventually did, with The
Curse of Chalion.) Sending Miles and Ekaterin to
Quaddiespace in Diplomatic Immunity was my
substitute, and gave me as much closure as I
wanted.
Properly, following the Escape from Pharaoh should have
come the 40 Years in the Wilderness followed by the
Conquest of Caanan, i.e., the passage to the future
Quaddiespace, and the initial building of the asteroid
colony. But that spaceship has sailed.
Looking back, I think I picked my projects not by plot
or even character, but by themes I found
psychologically interesting or resonant in any given
year. Or whatever book I write wraps around that
resonance as it goes, and allows it to embody itself.
(It's far from a linear process.)
LauraLooking
back, I think I picked my projects not by plot or
even character, but by themes I found
psychologically interesting or resonant in any
given yLooking back, I think I picked
my projects not by plot or even character, but by
themes I found psychologically interesting or
resonant in any given year.
This, yes. I think this was most clear to me with
Cryoburn, but afterward, I realized how the A and
B plots (etc, etc) of your books will circle
around a similar set of themes. It made my next
reread of the series a little more insightful,
trying to identify what those themes were.
Though considering my favorite has always been
Memory, I'm a little surprised it took me so long
to realize this....more Apr 21,
2016 05:14PM
Naomi G
RivkisSomehow,
what I'm imagining for the Quaddies now is a
trilogy long separated by time, with the first
being "Falling Free" and the second being
"DiplomSomehow, what I'm imagining for
the Quaddies now is a trilogy long separated by
time, with the first being "Falling Free" and the
second being "Diplomatic Immunity." The third, of
course, not yet being written......more May 12,
2016 08:38AM
Vivaine"Miles
happened" Somehow it does not surprise me that
Miles' hard charging energy overwhelmed even his
creator. I can just see Ekaterine's fond
smile"Miles happened" Somehow it does
not surprise me that Miles' hard charging energy
overwhelmed even his creator. I can just see
Ekaterine's fond smile at that, and Cordelia's
sympathetic eyeroll :)...more Aug 07,
2022 06:46AM
Lois McMaster
BujoldInsufficient gravity to hold a
free atmosphere is a problem for both worlds, the moon
more than Mars. Antarctica would be easier than either,
but the seasonal affective disorders would be fierce.
(Although Antarctica once had dinosaurs, so if global
warming keeps going, who knows.) Colonies on either the
moon or Mars would probably have to have enclosed
arcologies like Komarr, for starters. The future is a
long time; I wouldn't rule out anything, but I don't
see it happening in the near future, for reasons of
economics, biology, and physics.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
keep bashing this in the head, but the same rumor keeps
surfacing; I have concluded that the fanfic tale is the
story people want to be true. And there are more
of them than there are of me, so.
There is just enough of a grain of truth under this
that I can't deny it outright, but the real story is
rather more complex.
The Vorkosiverse actually got its proto-start in the
very first novelette that I wrote, "Dreamweaver's
Dilemma", back in late 1982. It never sold at the time.
(Later, it was printed in the Boskone SF convention
souvenir collection Dreamweaver's Dilemma when I
was GoH there in the mid-90's, and again in my little
e-collection Proto Zoa
http://www.amazon.com/Proto-Zoa-Lois-... ) Beta
Colony and the Wormhole Nexus generally got its
(somewhat off-stage) start in that tale, plus the
history of jump ships, the initial colonization
diaspora from Earth, etc. Barrayar did not yet
exist.
Scratching around for what to write next, in December
of 1982, I bethought me of a TOS scenario that I had
made up to entertain myself while driving to work at
OSU Hospitals at least five years prior. Which was,
indeed, a female Federation officer and a Klingon
captain (pre-ridged-rubber-heads; these were the
old-style fuzzy-eyebrows morph) down on a hostile
wilderness planet who had to cooperate to trek
I-don't-remember-where for I-don't-remember-why; the
mental movie was never written down. There was no more
to it. Whether or not this long-vanished train of
thought qualifies as "fanfic" seems to me a question
for debate. By someone other than me.
Walking around behind the notion of Klingons to the
actual historical Earth militaristic cultures upon
which they were based, I considered both European and
Asian models, especially the samurai. A key work under
this (besides a 3-volume history of early Japan I'd
read back-when, and a history of the Meiji era) was
A Daughter of the Samurai (1928) by Etsu Inagaki
Sugimoto, a memoir of a woman who was born just prior
to the Meiji era as the daughter of a rural two-sword
samurai, and who ended teaching Japanese at an eastern
American university in the 1920's. The notion of a
planet with that sort of abrupt generational
socio-political transition came from that reading. Lost
colonies being an SF staple, one with such a traumatic
rediscovery yielded my Barrayar pretty quickly. It
slotted very neatly into my wormhole diaspora
background from the novelette, Aral's boots appeared in
the mud in front of Cordelia's nose, and the rest was,
so to speak, future history.
Note that the rest of the series, not to mention the
rest of that book, was not yet in my mind: just getting
to the end of My First Novel quite filled my plate.
(Working title Mirrors, final title Shards of
Honor (1986))
Susan PriceI'd not
heard the fanfic rumor but am delighted with the
background on the story's genesis. Thank you for
posting this.I'd not heard the fanfic rumor but
am delighted with the background on the story's
genesis. Thank you for posting this....more Aug 01,
2016 06:04AM ·
flag
Laureen
HartThis rumor
may have its seeds with Barbara Hambly.
At a con many years ago Barbara said that she had
originally written "Ishmael" as a fanfic story.
OThis rumor may have its
seeds with Barbara Hambly.
At a con many years ago Barbara said that she had
originally written "Ishmael" as a fanfic story.
Once she was a published author and they wanted
another book, she dusted it off and sent it in.
She was pretty amused.
I think that kind of thing captures the hopeful
imagination of many unpublished writers and
writers of fanfic.
Couple that with the fact that you did write
fanfic (I have proof...,evil laugh...) It is easy
to see how the concept could morph to other
authors.
It does sound quite like a fountain of middle-age...
too late for me, belike. It will of course take many
years to prove itself, but it sounds as if a lot of
people are seriously working on it.
Cmorganusjuno.ComI
think Helen should meet up with one of Ethan's
offspring at some point in the future! (Her
nickname could very well be Elli!) ;)I think Helen should meet up with
one of Ethan's offspring at some point in the
future! (Her nickname could very well be Elli!)
;)...more Jun 20,
2016 01:40PM ·
flag
AlealeaReally
? Galacitc Helen vs Barrayaran Helen ?
I keep seeing her pushing to change salic law and
grab the Vorkosigan title for herself with her
twin brReally ? Galacitc Helen vs
Barrayaran Helen ?
I keep seeing her pushing to change salic law and
grab the Vorkosigan title for herself with her
twin brother's blessing leaving Mile
flabbergasted :'D...more Aug 08,
2016 04:04AM ·
flag
Meryl
FedermanAlealea -
I am *on board* with the idea of Alex stepping
down in favor of Helen to push thru the first
proper *heiress* to a Countship on Barrayar.
IAlealea - I am *on board*
with the idea of Alex stepping down in favor of
Helen to push thru the first proper *heiress* to
a Countship on Barrayar. I can only imagine the
dry quips Dono Vorrutyer would throw down upon
such a political question!...more Jan 20,
2017 08:51AM ·
flag
Bob IrwinYa
know... we can spend money on war, but not on
health care--that's Socialism!Ya know... we can spend money on
war, but not on health care--that's
Socialism!...more May 10,
2016 05:29AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, the Vorkosigan series does
seem to have this property that I've dubbed "spawning
fractal sequels". Any number of my minor (and major)
characters seem to have lives that extend off the edges
of the pages, and implied stories of their own. I do
not have the ability to spawn fractal clones of myself
to write them, alas. (And if I did, the clones might
just as well prefer to go off and do something else
altogether; see, "Mark".) So, no hope there. I'm afraid
you all will have to use your own imaginations for
these.
How much I work on my sentences consciously at the
micro-level varies. Some scenes just flow out, others
have to be squeezed. I spend a lot more time these days
(because I have more time, and working paperless makes
it easier) combing through my paragraphs winkling out
small glitches like word-echoes or less-than-ideal
sentence construction or syntax, or improving
word-choices. (Sometimes, I get it right the first time
:-) Sometimes I have to use bracketing fire to get my
range.)
But mostly I'm just recording the movie in my head, "I
write what I see", well, with added sensory data to the
visual when I think of it. No movie, no words, though,
as there is nothing yet to describe. So my writing
sessions tend to come in little bursts of ideation,
captured in notes, as I work out the progress of each
scene (or half-scene.)
My more detailed creation tends to come in
scene-chunks, that being about all my brain can handle
at one time. Paragraphs are interesting in their own
right, structurally and otherwise, and can be almost
like little prose-poems. Big blocks of text or just
three words, or one, depending on the work they're
being called on to do. Every paragraph should move
forward internally, placing the reader at a slightly
different place at the end than they were at the
beginning. (Or sometimes a very different place, see,
three words.)
Steven
SarafianThere is
curiosity (What happened after that?) and there
is wanting to revisit a fully drawn character or
characters we relate to almost as a friend
oThere is curiosity (What
happened after that?) and there is wanting to
revisit a fully drawn character or characters we
relate to almost as a friend or mentor. But the
same is true in the real world: we know only part
of any story and its ramifications across the
present, let alone the future. We often can't,
and more often don't, keep up with every
worthwhile person we get to know. (If a person is
not frequently meeting worthwhile people, they
need to get out more or frequent places where
they meet better sorts of people--worthwhile ones
are not rare, thank God.) No author can keep up,
no matter how prolific or long-lived. (Oh Queen,
live forever!) But of course it is a compliment
for readers to love the characters or be
fascinated by the ongoing events and/or vice
versa. And what a wonderful accolade you received
in that Analog review: "to read Bujold is to want
more".
Exceptions exist when a character dies, or better
yet dies and goes to Heaven (C.S. Lewis "The Last
Battle", "Till we have Faces") or when the world
or the universe ends (but even then, SF-ly, we
have Poul Anderson "To Outlive Eternity" or
Murray Leinster "The End" where characters pass
beyond the end of the universe to a new, young,
universe; and many instances of end of the world
stories where some leave the doomed world to
continue life: Walter M. Miller, Jr.'s "A
Canticle for Liebowitz", Wylie & Baumer's "When
Worlds Collide" & "After Worlds Collide".)...more May 28,
2016 09:18AM ·
flag
SusanKnife
Children is out now, but you probably already
know that. Jun 03,
2020 10:49PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThat one died in the middle,
alas. I'm not sure if it will ever be resurrected.
(This is the great disadvantage of public readings or
discussion of my works that haven't been at least
finished in first draft. Lesson to me.) Good set-up,
but after that... sigh.
Judy R.This
is of great interest to me, too; always has been.
Ecology is where it's at. Farming on Barrayar is
something I'd love to see as a backdrop to a
MThis is of great interest to
me, too; always has been. Ecology is where it's
at. Farming on Barrayar is something I'd love to
see as a backdrop to a Mark book, maybe with
Sergyar influence. If this stimulates something,
may I be a Beta reader?...more Jun 09,
2016 09:32AM ·
flag
SusanFlowers of
Vashnoi - apparently it was
resurrected! Jun 21,
2020 12:36AM ·
flag
For simple question, this one is surprisingly hard to
answer. For one thing, I would have to remember
all my books at the same time. But as a rule of thumb,
characters who have the most books over which to
develop will have the most stage-time to deliver
surprises. Miles, as so often, takes the lead here.
(Although, for a one-book character, Wencel Horseriver
was pretty obstreperous.)
MargaretWith
Horseriver, the reader can sort of see it
happening, too. The earlier chapters make it seem
like Hetwar and politics are going to be more
importaWith Horseriver, the reader can
sort of see it happening, too. The earlier
chapters make it seem like Hetwar and politics
are going to be more important, and then
Horseriver grabs the reins and makes a hard left
at Albuquerque... I find him a fascinating
character....more Jun 02,
2016 07:15AM ·
flag
ElizabethToo bad we
got Horseriver's last story first. Clearly, there
were doozies along the way.Too bad we got Horseriver's last
story first. Clearly, there were doozies along
the way....more Jun 03,
2016 05:13AM ·
flag
StarsreaderLove the
way the ostentatios obstreporous (I work with
porous materials in case you wonder why it's
misspelled) was implemented here. That's what
makeLove the way the ostentatios
obstreporous (I work with porous materials in
case you wonder why it's misspelled) was
implemented here. That's what makes good
books!!!...more Jun 07,
2016 01:07PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
pronounce it like "have", for all that it is probably a
truncation of Xavier which would go with "save". The
Great Barrayaran Vowel Shift, or something...
Jonathan
PalfreyI live in
Catalonia, where Xavier is a common name, often
abbreviated to Xavi. It may be pronounced Shavi
or Chavi or something in between. The
equivaI live in Catalonia, where Xavier
is a common name, often abbreviated to Xavi. It
may be pronounced Shavi or Chavi or something in
between. The equivalent Spanish name is Javi,
pronounced Havi....more Mar 05,
2022 11:09AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyXavier is
a Catalan first name, normally abbreviated to
Xavi, which is pronounced Shavi. However, I doubt
that the Vorpatrils are Catalan, so they
canXavier is a Catalan first name,
normally abbreviated to Xavi, which is pronounced
Shavi. However, I doubt that the Vorpatrils are
Catalan, so they can choose their own
pronunciation....more Oct 02,
2023 11:12PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, I can't listen to anything
and read (or write) at the same time, so no. That said,
music has occasionally been an inspiration or aid to my
imagination. While I was writing The Sharing
Knife, the songs of Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer
were a boost.
Other things at random. Since my kids moved out, I've
not been as much exposed to new music, so I'm rather
out of touch. I don't drive enough to get much in the
car, either. (Also the hearing loss in my right ear
combined with the road noise (combined, not
infrequently, with unclear recordings or delivery of
lyrics) makes it an aggravating frustration to even
try.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldNo,
no relation to the astronauts -- in fact, I don't see
the connection. I picked it for the vaguely Russian
sound -- Aral Sea, after all -- and because I liked
it.
I'd like to do more with Penric and Desdemona, but am
currently suffering a combination of choice-paralysis
and trying to makes bricks without straw, i.e., I need
to do more research reading. This may take some time,
as the phrase goes.
LizzieI have
always though there was more to Ivan, which
eventually even Miles sees. Jun 27,
2016 10:02PM ·
flag
Jill
Vassilakos-longI daydream
about the possibilities.... Miles bested the
Cetagandans more than once. They have a tissue
sample...how many clones did they run off?
WoulI daydream about the
possibilities.... Miles bested the Cetagandans
more than once. They have a tissue sample...how
many clones did they run off? Would a cloned
Barrayaran on Cetaganda be treated any better
than a child with physical differences was
treated on Barrayar? Whose doorstep would the
escaped clones show up on? OR Dr. Canaba thought
that he invented the psi gene, but he was always
an ass. The knowledge it took to develop the gene
was available and the time was ripe, humanity was
on the threshold ...how many simultaneous places
invented it? Is it possible that it could come to
a renegade haut woman on Jackson's Whole?
Wouldn't Moira Ghem Estif wan to give her
great-grandchildren an edge? How would she get
access to Ivan and Tej's infant's uterine
replicators? When would Ivan figure out how his
children are different? OR Mind-reading
grandchildren of Ethan - wouldn't they want to
find Quinn? Where would they go, what would they
do? Would they want to join up? OR......more Jun 30,
2016 09:40AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldYou
do realize, I wrote that tale back in 1986, and I can't
actually remember what I had for breakfast last
week...
That said, my first notes for the story envisioned a
camp rather more like the ones I'd seen in WWII movies.
I certainly wanted something more SFnal; not sure when
I made the switch-over, but it was pretty early in the
notes stage, before I'd started actual composition.
Force domes, walls, whatever, had been tossed into my
VK story mix before then, so it was just a matter of
scaling up.
That plus, as an introvert who likes solitude, I could
imagine nothing more dire than being trapped somewhere
with a crowd of 10,000 people and not being able to get
away from them to be by myself. (And no books, argh.)
Miles dealt with it rather better than I would
have.
Lois McMaster
BujoldCan't do Hogwarts or
Myers-Briggs, sorry. You all are welcome to have a go
at figuring out Miles. (Although Slytherin is likely a
strong contender for him.)
Yes, I think Miles is an extrovert, energized rather
than drained by engagement with other people. He can
deal perfectly well with solitude for short stretches,
but then he needs action. I am the reverse.
Lois McMaster
BujoldHeh. No, I hadn't (I don't twit)
but Aaronovitch and I do have a sort of mutual literary
admiration society going, here. So, good-oh.
Lois McMaster
BujoldChalion exists; it just didn't
come up specifically in Penric. The Ibran language
covers Chalion, Brajar, and Ibra all three, after
all.
I believe it does come up in HH, as Ijada's Dad was
from there. Or those parts. Been a while since I read
it myself.
Lois McMaster
BujoldDon't know yet; Blackstone has
not yet made an offer on it. If/ when such an event
occurs, I will post the news on my blog. Note that even
if it goes to contract, it would still be several
months minimum till production and release.
Suzi KatzI
submitted a request/suggestion on Blackstone's
consumer site (downpour) that they produce an
audiobook of Penric's Shaman (with Grover Gardner
as reI submitted a request/suggestion
on Blackstone's consumer site (downpour) that
they produce an audiobook of Penric's Shaman
(with Grover Gardner as reader, of course). I
hope others will do the same.
When I can't identify a good new audiobook, I can
always fall back on one of yours: Vorkosigan,
Sharing Knife, or Chalion. After many listens to
each, I have not tired of them; they are reliably
engaging and satisfying. Thank you, Lois, for
creating these treasures!...more Jul 12,
2016 12:52PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, besides the fact that a lot
of the books were published before "Winterfair Gifts"
was written, it was not a Baen book. The story does now
appear in the omnibus Miles in Love,
however.
Lois McMaster
BujoldGrover Gardner (the Blackstone
Audiobooks narrator) has in recent years often called
me on the phone before starting a project to check
pronunciations. In the earliest works he recorded, we
hadn't yet made that connection, so the pronunciations
are inconsistent over recording dates.
By is bi, although it's uncertain how much of that is
situational with respect to his (old) ImpSec job. The
occasional over-the-top swishiness is mostly an
act, to mislead or annoy people.
I don't know who lied to By's dad about By and his
sister. Richars would be an interesting and plausible
candidate, certainly. If so, it's quite possible By
never found out, or at least not at the time; equally
possible that he eventually did.
No, I don't know the names of Cordelia's other 4 girls.
I had some notes somewhere. I know she'd wanted Simone,
but then Miles nipped in and grabbed it first, somewhat
to Cordelia's annoyance.. "Olivia" is doubly likely, to
honor both Aral's mother and Oliver, though that might
be saved for if she and Oliver ever had a girl
together. "Elizabeth", after Cordelia's mom, has also
been snapped up. There are lots of other possibilities,
anyway, Alys and Xaviera among them.
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I was reading ( for the second time in a
row) Penric and the Shaman and wondered about this
sentence when they are all dining at Gallin's place "he
delivered the formula with a seminary-trained grace,
which seemed to please their hosts"...
Is "seminary-trained grace" an oxymoron ? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldMark's weight seems to be one of
those things that's better to leave each reader to
imagine for themselves. It varies over time, both up
and down, depending on his current circumstances. But
never lower than 2x Miles, which would be about 200
pounds. More, even much more, is certainly
possible.
Personally, I suspect Kareen of having a very private
and rather transgressive fetish... but that's between
Kareen and Mark. And their therapists, physicians, and
perhaps body-modification specialists. I expect
Vorkosiverse bariatric medicine has all kinds of tricks
for keeping people healthy at any weight that we, alas,
do not, so overweight, or indeed any weight, does not
trail the kind of rather hysterical negative social
surround there that it does here. I'm sure people find
other things to be busybodies about.
That Mark's overweight freaks Miles is just a delicious
bonus, from Mark's point of view. But that's not about
social disapproval, but rather Miles's own identity,
control, and body-image issues when confronted with
this unexpected twin.
The "lost colony" is an SF staple; many writers have
rung changes on the theme over the decades, both before
I write my first Vorkosiverse book (in 1983) and
after.
Lois McMaster
BujoldSince I wrote Miles starting in
1983, no. He predates a great deal of late 20th/early
21st C. medical development, actually. Fascinating new
stuff is coming along constantly, but since I lack a
time machine, my books can't take advantage of it.
Nope, no media adaptations on the horizon at this
time.
The notion that the stories or characters would survive
such an adaptation in any recognizable form seems
optimistic to me; my two prior adventures in that
direction certainly didn't. (A short story adapted to a
half-hour show, which was actually produced, back in
the 80s, and a feature film offer in the 90s that only
went as far as a jaw-droppingly dire script.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
That will be up to Blackstone Audiobooks to make an
offer. Subsequently, it would still be some time for
the work to move through production to release, so, not
time to hold one's breath yet.
Should there be news from that quarter, I'll certainly
post it on my blog.
Lois McMaster
Bujold"Aftermaths". Which, since it is
also found at the ends of Shards of Honor (and
in my little collection Proto Zoa) will already
have been read by most Vorkosigan fans; it's there
mainly to catch new readers, maybe.
Plus it was the only short-enough thing I had
available.
Bob Irwin"Aftermaths"
is haunting story, that has never quite left
me."Aftermaths" is haunting story,
that has never quite left me....more Aug 09,
2016 04:56AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
not enough of a gamer to aspire to game development on
any level. (Nor am I interested at my age in
retraining, when I could be writing new stories
instead.) It would be up to some game company to
license the rights to my work and develop it, while I
sat on the sidelines and fretted ignorantly. Rather
like film adaptation, that way.
Mai-AnhLizzie,
if your daughter is interested in tabletop RPGs
(in addition to video game RPGs), there is a
Vorkosigan Saga sourcebook available using the
GULizzie, if your daughter is
interested in tabletop RPGs (in addition to video
game RPGs), there is a Vorkosigan Saga sourcebook
available using the GURPS system: http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/vo......more Aug 28,
2016 09:20AM ·
flag
LeelaI'm 50 and
I game. I was thinking that Bioware could maybe
use their awesome technology to actually make
movies. I've been singing the praises of
thesI'm 50 and I game. I was thinking
that Bioware could maybe use their awesome
technology to actually make movies. I've been
singing the praises of these books on the Orphan
Black down the rabbit hole facebook group which
actually has some of the actors on the show as
members. I find a lot of the plot points in OB
make me think of the Vorkosigan universe, and I'd
love to introduce fans of the show to these
books. The Leda clones were going to be wiped out
this season as obsolete technology. Neolution
makes me think of Jackson Whole... that sort of
thing....more Sep 07,
2016 06:02AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
consider my little reviews to be my personal informal
reader responses, and don't set a particularly high bar
for myself. I try to capture how I reacted and why
without putting in too many spoilers, and offer
something of what I see as the mode or mood of the book
for others considering reading it, but really, they're
on their own. The accumulation here on Goodreads acts
as much as a reading diary for me as anything else, so
I can look back and find, "What the heck was the
title/author/what that book was about that I was
reading last year...?"
It's interesting, looking back over a long enough
baseline, to see which books were memorable, and which
have settled into the sludge at the bottom of my memory
and dissolved.
Lois McMaster
BujoldMm,
not really, at this time. Even the NESFA hardcovers
only run for the first 8 volumes that never had an
original hardcover issue from Baen. However, Baen is
presently engaged in reissuing all the old VK titles in
a nice trade paperback, and if you wait a bit, they
should all be available that way. (Or better yet, don't
wait, so they'll be encouraged to keep going.)
The rights to do translations have to be licensed by
the publishing company that plans to bring the book/s
out, and they usually hire their own translators.
(Naturally, since a publisher will be investing
considerable up-front resources in this task, which
they hope to make back by sales, they expect their
license to be exclusive.)
So, alas, probably not OK unless you represent and are
speaking for a publisher, in which case you/they should
contact my agent. Sorry!
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Do you always know how your books are
going to end while you are writing them? Asking because I
just re-read Cryoburn and about mid-way through I
remembered how it ends. I started to feel like the entire
book is really a meditation on life, death, and
parenting, leading up to Aral's death. All of the pieces
of that book fit together so well. (Sorry if you've been
asked this a million times) (hide
spoiler)]
I don't always know how every book will end, no, though
I often have a sort of general target in mind. Exactly
how I'll get there has to be worked out as I write, and
the target sometimes shifts in the process. Inspiration
comes to me in visions of scenes or exchanges or loose
bits, which I capture in notes and massage around till
they work right, as each scene comes up. (I almost
always write stories in chronological narrative order,
since every scene written changes the ambit of the
possible for what follows, sometimes incrementally,
sometimes by a lot.)
With Cryoburn, yes, I had the last scene, and
indeed the last line, in mind well before I began the
book (years before); much of the book was me finding my
way to it. Yours is pretty much the reader-response I
was aiming to elicit, although readers who approached
the book thinking it was just going to be another
Miles-plot-romp were alas self-confused by their own
assumed reading protocols. A lot of my books tend to
repay rereading, where the reader is at last reading
what's actually in front of them, instead of looking
around for some other story.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI've been typing this way for 50
years; I have no motivation to try to retrain myself at
this point.
It is the speed of my making-things-up, not the speed
of my typing, that regulates the pace of my production.
There are no mechanical aids for the former, alas. It's
an extremely oblique process at the best of times.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
think the themes have always lurked in the background;
the metaphors just play out differently and more
directly in fantasy, where the supernatural is "real",
than in my more secular, as it were, SF.
Yes, I've read some Charles Williams. (Also the rest of
his writers' group... :-) Lots of other background
reading accumulated over the years, from Thomas Merton
to St. Augustine to Dorothy Sayers to G. K. Chesterton
and on, all slowly disintegrating in the compost heap
of my memory by this time.
Setanya
KoltovskyNearly
finished reading The Hallowed Hunt, I've
wondered similarly about the source of religious
themes. Though a first-time read, I find myself
readiNearly finished reading The
Hallowed Hunt, I've wondered similarly about
the source of religious themes. Though a
first-time read, I find myself reading the tale
much more slowly than is my custom, for the
descriptive passages beg immersion in
visualization, along with the emotions and
action. (Though I've found each of Lois's works
inspire greater lingering along the way, as
compared to my former eagerness to resolve
suspense.)
The Christian Trinity alone lends itself to the
five gods. One surely might ask "Where is the
female?", and even tend the notion that by
worldly definition, Christ was a bastard. (Heh
heh... no one is more reverent toward the triune
God, than I, Christian by choice. I'm certain
that "tremendous sense of humor" is a hallmark
trait of God, regardless of the bad hype of
limited matter.)
Early in the book, I was inspired to look up
"bastard," and was faintly bemused to find it's
original definition is usually relegated to
either archaic or secondary. The numbers of
insults the word represents are, however,
colorfully indicated in thesaurus. Well, by any
name, diety must certainly have the aspect of
ruthlessness to cover all earthly bases....more Nov 04,
2017 04:50PM ·
flag
Setanya
KoltovskyPerhaps
also of a generation gap in definitions,
clarification adds that the primary meaning I
ascribe to the word "ruthless" is
"uncompromising."Perhaps also of a generation gap
in definitions, clarification adds that the
primary meaning I ascribe to the word "ruthless"
is "uncompromising."...more Nov 04,
2017 07:19PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldPart of my semi-retirement
involves ducking the stresses of book tours, so, likely
not. (There is also the present absence of a novel to
tour for, a slight snag in the scheme.)
Those Analog appearances were really important to my
early career, I must agree.
Lois McMaster
BujoldOh,
that one's new. Several people have pointed out the
cockroach-butter one to me. One sees why Mark's version
was such a hard sell,,, :-)
Lois McMaster
BujoldAn
appalling workload, plus reluctance to step on Lady
Alys's turf; pretty well, probably; don't know; don't
know; don't know; don't know; a bit over a foot
square.
Lois McMaster
BujoldProbably the best book to try is
The Hallowed Hunt. It's set in somewhat the same
geographic region as the two Penric tales (well, just
south -- the Weald) maybe 150 years earlier. Note that
its hero and point-of-view character, Ingrey, is
something of a passive-aggressive (as well as actually
aggressive) bully-boy to start out, so riding in his
head will demand a drier sense of humor than sunny
Penric.
I hope to do more with Penric, yes. Can't say when.
The first two novellas had/will have limited hardcover
paper editions from Subterranean Press, but the print
run was/will be quite small, so they aren't easy to
find. Future paper assemblages or collections must wait
on a larger accumulation of stories, which will take a
while. Many ideas, only one brain to process them.
There's a queue.
I really like novellas, too. Note that they can range,
officially, from 17,500 words, more short-story-like,
to 40,000 words at the cap, which can feel a little
more novel-like. I enjoy the tight focus, the limited,
intimate scope, and the fact that they don't take a
year, or four, to write. And I am very interested in
the indie e-pub experiment.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
not sure yet what all I will do with Penric, although
he seems the sort of itinerant character who has lots
of story possibilities. Among other things, I'd like to
keep the turning room to jump around in his timeline
however I please. As usual, nothing is promised,
nothing is ruled out.
LizzieI just
recently read The Sharing Knife books. I picked
them up in a used book store a while back based
simply on Lois being the author. When I
finallyI just recently read The Sharing
Knife books. I picked them up in a used book
store a while back based simply on Lois being the
author. When I finally read them, I discovered,
of course, I didn't have the last book. I hadn't
searched for it on Amazon because I wanted to
first make sure I liked it. I did, and then had
to suffer the wait of getting the last book
delivered....more Sep 25,
2016 02:35AM ·
flag
SusanKnife
Children has been out for a while Jun 03,
2020 10:53PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, nothing in the Vorkosiverse
was settled in "our" time, but rather, two hundred and
more years into our future, when people may be assumed
to have gotten around and mixed and split and
recombined right here on Earth even more than now.
Colonization also tends to divest languages en route.
So a few ethnic names are not really enough to build a
theory of future history upon.
Howard
BrazeeIt can
surprise people to learn about the former
Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori (known as El
Chino even though his ancestry was Japanese). And
toIt can surprise people to
learn about the former Peruvian president Alberto
Fujimori (known as El Chino even though his
ancestry was Japanese). And to many Europeans of
the past, the idea of a president named Abraham
would indicate that he would be a Jew. I agree
with you that divested languages and names will
have surprises....more Sep 29,
2016 05:44AM ·
flag
ClairenessWho's the
character that shares a name with a town in
Croatia? I'm trying to remember if I've ever had
that realization but I'm coming up empty...
(anWho's the character that
shares a name with a town in Croatia? I'm trying
to remember if I've ever had that realization but
I'm coming up empty... (and internet is not being
helpful).
On a more topic-related note: I don't think I've
ever felt like the planets "represent" ethnic
groups; mindsets yes. Most of which are really
similar to today's: Beta Colony - OpenSource with
a punch of liberalism, Jackson's Whole - plastic
surgery (and commercialism, and weapons, and etc)
to the power of 1 billion, (like Marie said)
Cetaganda - China with it's forbidden cities
(Star Creche) and kittens in unlikely places,
etc....more Oct 02,
2016 02:33PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldTry
the Chalion series, or The Sharing Knife tetralogy.
Neither will be the same, note, not even as each other,
because what would be the point of that (from the
writer's point of view, at least.) But if you can go
into them planning to take them for what they are,
rather than pre-riled 'cause they aren't another Miles
book, I think they would repay your eyeball time.
In other current writers, I can rec Megan Whalen
Turner's YA fantasy series starting with The
Thief, and Ben Aaronovitch's urban/crime fantasy
series starting with Rivers of London -- US
title Midnight Riot.
Laure
ReminickThanks,
Lois! I just bought the first book in The Thief
series. And realized I already have Midnight
Riot, which got shuffled to the back amidst a
booThanks, Lois! I just bought the
first book in The Thief series. And realized I
already have Midnight Riot, which got shuffled to
the back amidst a book-binge....more Nov 30,
2016 11:33AM ·
flag
Sue
BursztynskiMay I
suggest something for anyone missing Miles?
Aussie author Michael Pryor’s YA series, The Laws
of Magic. The hero, Aubrey Fitzwilliam, is a
sortMay I suggest something for anyone
missing Miles? Aussie author Michael Pryor’s YA
series, The Laws of Magic. The hero, Aubrey
Fitzwilliam, is a sort of Miles, if you can
imagine him on a steampunk Earth. It’s great
fun!...more May 09,
2020 04:13AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldVorkosigan Vashnoi was the old
Vorkosigan's District capital that was nuked toward the
end of the Cetagandan Occupation aka 9th Satrapy. It is
part (center, actually) of all the radioactive land
Miles's grandfather left him.
For Miles, then, it is a symbol of dying before
surrender, the ultimate Barrayaran stubbornness; he is,
as it were, declaring his ownership of his Barrayaran
self, Lord Vorkosigan, not Admiral Naismith, along with
the dream, memory, and remains of the lost city. No
matter how unrewarding that identity may sometimes seem
to him...
JessgoesnorthInteresting!
I'd always interpreted it as a sign of stubborn
persistence bringing hope after disaster - linked
to his comments to Martin about it becoInteresting! I'd always
interpreted it as a sign of stubborn persistence
bringing hope after disaster - linked to his
comments to Martin about it becoming usable land
in his old age....more Apr 12,
2018 04:23AM ·
flag
MelindaMemory is
my favorite, too! I even managed to struggle
through reading the Spanish translation this
summer as a pandemic project. Boy was that
painfulMemory is my favorite, too! I even
managed to struggle through reading the Spanish
translation this summer as a pandemic project.
Boy was that painful, but it helped that I've
read it so many times in English....more Jan 09,
2021 07:54AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldLots of tropes. I was thinking
recently about how much I like the Smart Sidekick
characters (infinitely more than jock heroes, ferex),
although I'm not sure that's a trope, exactly. Smart
heroes are good too, when one can get them. Well-done
angsty backstories can lure me in (badly done ones, not
so much), with characters eventually triumphing over
same to earn their happy endings.
Also a sucker for hurt-comfort, which seems a very
female taste. If anybody can explain this one... I
can't, and I share it.
Guilty pleasures also change over time. At present,
anime, manga, and fanfic seem to top the list.
Selectively; I'm pretty picky, now I've completed the
initial discovery/survey phase. Next year, who
knows?
Lois McMaster
BujoldMm,
don't think I can answer this one, Each work had its
fun parts and its hair-tearing parts, and over thirty
years my memory has turned to compost anyway. If
something isn't any fun, or at least doesn't speak to
me in some gripping way (or, better, both), I can't
write it in the first place.
It is a particular joy, when I have been scratching
away at a stubborn knotty bit, to have the untangling
solution fall out of my brain and slot in perfectly.
(And then I wonder why the heck it couldn't have done
that earlier.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldYep, more or less. I think mine
used lasers, but the same idea.
Mine went one further in that after the scan, one could
try virtual replicas of the proposed clothing on one's
virtual image, and see how they looked without all that
wriggling in and out of piles of cloth and
what-not.
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, I always listen to
commentary with interest, because it's a source of
endless fascination to me the wildly varied ways people
read and process the same text. But that's just a kind
of mildly masochistic self-indulgence. Otherwise, I
pretty much ignore them. My story, my characters; if
they want to be in charge, they can write their own. If
they want someone to take dictation, they can hire a
stenographer.
Exceptions are readers with technical expertise in some
element that has come up in the story -- medicine, for
example -- who can give me advice or ideas or prevent
me from making gaffes in matters of fact. Technical
expertise can extend to certain characterization issues
sometimes, so as almost always in writing, the
boundaries are fuzzy and the true answer is, It
Depends.
Note that there is also a difference between solicited
critique, before a work is published with the explicit
goal of test-driving it and uncovering flaws, and later
commentary, after it's entirely too late to change
anything and anyway the writer has already moved on to
the next project. (If writers treat the latter with the
same attention as the former, they will drive
themselves crazy.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, I can't answer those
questions, but I can mention there is a new Penric tale
in the works. I'll announce particulars on my blog when
they materialize, probably in a few weeks.
Foix's demon certainly has a good and lucky start, yes.
Bodes well for a long and fruitful future for it.
Kate
DavenportIt's what
I like best about your characters. They feel real
and interesting and I want to know them
better.It's what I like best about your
characters. They feel real and interesting and I
want to know them better....more Oct 15,
2016 05:30AM ·
flag
JerriGreat news
about a new Penric story. I like him and
Desdemona a lot. Oct 16,
2016 01:39PM ·
flag
JessgoesnorthMore
Penric! I look forward to that very much
indeed. Mar 31,
2022 07:21AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThis is a question without an
objective answer. A superb reading experience relies on
a complex, interlocking match between a specific
reader's desires, expectations, abilities, and stage of
life, and a particular text, such that even with the
same text, each reader will get a different experience;
and even the same reader with the same text will have a
different experience on subsequent rereads. So there
are no "best books", only "best readings", and even the
latter changes as the reader grows, learns, and
ages.
SrjanssenI share
this opinion. When I am waiting in the doctor's
office I amuse myself with a list of SciFi books
that shouldn't be missed.I share this opinion. When I am
waiting in the doctor's office I amuse myself
with a list of SciFi books that shouldn't be
missed....more Oct 20,
2016 01:38PM
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, check out Uncle Hugo's
Science Fiction Bookstore here in Minneapolis. They
have all my books signed, and you can get
personalizations by request, with some lead time.
Lois McMaster
BujoldIn
general, it's any tale where one character gets hurt
and another has to take care of him-her-it, forcing a
changing and deepening of whatever emotional
relationship between them the author is in pursuit of.
(When the emphasis is more on the hurt part, one
sometimes suspects a touch of authorial sadism, or at
least bad mood, but really, it's mostly a device to
peel bare and reveal emotion.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
don't think I have a single favorite. What I want to
(re)read varies wildly with my age, my mood, everything
really. I don't think I could even pin down a favorite
per decade. (Although Cordwainer Smith stands out, and
up, from the 1960s.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, without seeing the article,
I can't guess. I suppose it might have been written by
a Young Person, who hasn't caught up with the
overwhelming totality of his culture yet. Twain is
certainly well known to me, but I grew up in a
time rapidly becoming almost as lost as his.
Jonathan
PalfreyAs an
Englishman who’s hardly set foot in the USA, I’ve
been aware of Mark Twain for most of my life,
although I think I’ve read only one of his
booksAs an Englishman who’s hardly set
foot in the USA, I’ve been aware of Mark Twain
for most of my life, although I think I’ve read
only one of his books (A Connecticut Yankee in
King Arthur’s Court)....more Apr 12,
2023 02:29AM ·
flag
AlexandraI
know this is seven years late, but it could be an
attempt at irony, in the style of Mark Twain
himself… Jan 10,
2024 09:29AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldNo,
not as such; the underlying theological conditions are
not the same.
Not that people, being people, wouldn't do horrible
things to each other locally from time to time, under
various misapprehensions about the gods. But they are
misapprehensions susceptible to actual correction.
Kalen
DelaneyThe Rokari
lands do seem to have something similar to an
inquisition ongoing, as reported by Umegat and
waged against followers of the white
god. Dec 10,
2020 02:06PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
can't actually answer that, as they both walked on
stage as-is, and could never have been any other
way.
So it was never a matter of "I am interested in writing
about disabilities, therefore I will compose these
characters to frame those issues," but rather, "Huh.
That's one way to slow him down a bit. So what is he
going to do now? Let's see what happens..."
The first reader to point out that I was writing about
disabilities actually fastened on the quaddies, whom I
did not think of as handicapped at all, but rather,
hyper-adapted -- as long as they were in the right
environment. We had some really interesting early
exchanges on the subject.
SrjanssenI like
thinking about the forces that shift a society
out of engrained patterns of belief that create
engrained patterns of behavior. One could
thinkI like thinking about the forces
that shift a society out of engrained patterns of
belief that create engrained patterns of
behavior. One could think of Cordelia being the
first disrupting influence on an engrained
society, by being a female military officer, and
by using a replicator. Miles was not so much
disabled, but a person outside the norm who
forced a change in beliefs and behaviors. Given
the societal fears of mutation it makes sense
that the Miles character was outside the
norm....more Jan 05,
2017 12:25PM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyMiles:
"So, I've been through all this suffering and
social stigma because… you wanted to slow me down
a bit. Thanks a bunch, maybe I'll do the same
fMiles: "So, I've been
through all this suffering and social stigma
because… you wanted to slow me down a bit. Thanks
a bunch, maybe I'll do the same for you
someday."
I'm just kidding, really. But it's probably just
as well that authors will never encounter their
fictional characters in the real world....more Jul 03,
2022 12:03AM ·
flag
Bob IrwinYou really
can't nominate yourself... so I will... Who is
the best Sci-fi writer? Lois McMaster Bujold,
without question.You really can't nominate
yourself... so I will... Who is the best Sci-fi
writer? Lois McMaster Bujold, without
question....more Nov 01,
2016 06:42AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyThe
question is answered there in a sense: there is
no objective answer. But perhaps what YEVA wanted
was merely a subjective answer: which books do
yThe question is answered
there in a sense: there is no objective answer.
But perhaps what YEVA wanted was merely a
subjective answer: which books do you most enjoy
reading at this stage of your life? That would be
of some interest to your fans, I think....more Nov 19,
2020 12:04AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldAssuming you mean my opinion and
not yours (which I cannot guess), I didn't create a
crippled hero; I created Miles. All his issues, by no
means limited to the physical, just came
along-with.
More immediately, he rose out of his parents'
situation. As people tend to do.
I do think they could adapt better to TV than a feature
film. But in any case, the adaptation would be much
harder than it looks, as so much of the appeal of the
books depends on the experience they offer of the
insides of people's heads, which visual media cannot
give, and on voice, also lost in translation.
Derek KnoxIt'd be
hard to translate the series to tv, it's not a
linear story like GOT and True Blood.It'd be hard to translate the
series to tv, it's not a linear story like GOT
and True Blood....more Nov 02,
2016 10:48AM ·
flag
Not least because re-publications typeset in new
editions require the page proofs to be proofread,
again, offering an irresistible chance for a bit more
copy-editing. So I reread the whole Vorkosigan saga for
direct e-publication a few years ago, and am doing so
yet again for the new Baen trade paperback
editions.
It's a chore that can get really tedious, given enough
repetitions.
SusanI have
also reread all your books several times. I
really need to reorganize my bookshelves, because
your section is running out of room. Again. The
oI have also reread all your
books several times. I really need to reorganize
my bookshelves, because your section is running
out of room. Again. The only exception is the
Sharing Knife series - I bought Knife Children
and planned to reread the previous books before
reading it (it's been a while since I read the
quartet), but sadly, it is still waiting. The
urge to reread all the Penric novellas is always
stronger.......more Jun 11,
2020 08:51PM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyI reread
books more often, the more I like them. No
problem. But it must feel significantly different
if you wrote the book yourself; it's hard to
meI reread books more often,
the more I like them. No problem. But it must
feel significantly different if you wrote the
book yourself; it's hard to me to imagine what
that's like....more Sep 05,
2020 12:49PM ·
flag
JoeyProbably
who helped you/did anybody help you. It's either
that, or questioning the helpfulness of your
books, which I seriously doubt.Probably who helped you/did
anybody help you. It's either that, or
questioning the helpfulness of your books, which
I seriously doubt....more Oct 30,
2016 08:09AM
Lois McMaster
BujoldWould I? No. Would Cordelia? Yes,
apparently. Granted she has a longer life expectancy
than I do, and probably better current and future
health. If I had the anticipated number of years ahead
of me that she does, any number of life do-overs could
look more attractive.
Their blurb is a trifle misleading. It's actually 5th
only in the Chalion series; 2nd in the Pen & Des
sub-series. I foresee the usual Bujold-reading-order
confusion will continue.
SnailWoah!
What French vorkosigan comic? Somebody send me a
link? Mar 14,
2017 04:13PM ·
flag
Lois BujoldIt was
the first of three planned volumes adapting
The Warrior's Apprentice; it sold so
poorly the project was abandoned after only one
volume.
ISBN ..It was the first of three planned
volumes adapting The Warrior's Apprentice;
it sold so poorly the project was abandoned after
only one volume.
ISBN ... not actually given, but there is a code,
53-7932-6, and another, 9 782302 006768
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, we are living in the 21st
century now, which was always The Future. (Granted,
it's not the future we ordered or expected.)
I think the real world has always been pretty
fantastical, but in the Old Days (tm), people could
only access a small slice of it. Due to the internet
and other communications technologies, people are being
exposed to way more of it than had even been possible
before, and indeed way more than most of us can
process.
And, yes, they keep making more. This has changed the
problem from that of accessing knowledge that is scant
and rare and valuable, a perpetual state of local
famine, to triaging an avalanche of knowledge. I've
likened it to being taken into a huge modern
supermarket, and told one has to eat all the food on
the shelves. Obviously, the old system of trying to
know everything about everything can't work in this new
environment. I'm not sure we've figured out yet what
will.
AnneThank you
ma'am. Just re-read my question and goodness,
grammar! :)
It seems like science fiction and fantasy are
having trouble processing the possibThank you ma'am. Just re-read my
question and goodness, grammar! :)
It seems like science fiction and fantasy are
having trouble processing the possibilities that
the present is opening up to us. I'm still seeing
a lot of the same old things rehashed and not as
much in the way of truly new things; or perhaps
I'm not recognizing the new things when they crop
up, or I'm looking in the wrong place for the new
things. I remember the sense of wonder at Asimov
and Niven and Dyson spheres and ringworlds and
positronic brains. And then the Neuromancer and
cyberminds. And I'm wondering - those were
decades ago, where are the things like that
today? The big ideas taking the steps forward
from our modern technology?...more Nov 06,
2016 06:42AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThat is far beyond the scope of
the current work-in-progress. I already have at least
four rabbits to chase, and if I don't narrow it down,
no story can be written at all. So, speculate away, but
it's not a question I can answer.
(In other words, this is the point where you go talk
amongst yourselves, and I sneak away out of sight to
work unperturbed.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
god's seasons change at the solstices and equinoxes
(except of course for the Bastard, who gets leap year
day/s -- not necessarily the same as ours) plus there
is a day at the mid-point of each season that's a
lesser holiday as well. "Mother's Midsummer" has been
mentioned, ferex. So there's a holiday every six weeks.
So I guess they have both?
GabiDo
countries outside of north America consider
solstices the beginning of a season? To me, the
clue is in the name MID-summer, MID-winter, etc.
I knowDo countries outside of north
America consider solstices the beginning of a
season? To me, the clue is in the name
MID-summer, MID-winter, etc. I know some
countries (including mine) would count the season
as beginning on the 1st of the month....more Mar 06,
2018 11:20PM ·
flag
Cmorganusjuno.ComOn 9/11, l
immediately thought of Steady Freddie! (Or the
Trumppence affair!) Nov 14,
2016 04:18PM ·
flag
GlebCongratulations,
your’s country made right choice. I hope, Trump
shall beware of madman with pistols and rotten
crabs??? Nov 16,
2016 01:01AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldNever, probably. It would need a
new universe. The VK-verse is set up to be "Due to
bioengineering, 10,000 years down the timeline, the
aliens will all be descended from us."
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, people can pronounce it
however they please, but I pronounce it more-or-less
the way you do -- NICK-ees.
(The one I'm really having trouble deciding is Skirose,
which could go any of three or four different ways. If
Grover Gardner calls to ask, I'll have to make up my
mind.)
Shane
CastleI know
that language and pronunciation consistency are
pitfalls for authors and their readers, and
agreement between the two is probably
near-impossibI know that language and
pronunciation consistency are pitfalls for
authors and their readers, and agreement between
the two is probably near-impossible. Living in
Europe right now, for instance, I want to
pronounce Skirose as 'skee-RO-suh' but then keep
Nikys as 'NICK-ees'....more Nov 19,
2016 08:52AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldI
think I decided against three syllables, or else
I could have spelled it "Skirosie" and alleviated
confusion.
(Also, it's ski like the winter sport,I think I decided against three
syllables, or else I could have spelled it
"Skirosie" and alleviated confusion.
(Also, it's ski like the winter sport, not sky
like overhead. So, most probably, SKEE-rose. Rose
like the flower.)
Although do remember the magic is ultimately magic;
some readers get carried away with the skiffy-minded
possibilities, and overthink things, just as some
readers get carried away trying to find nonexistent 1:1
parallels between our-world geography and history, and
these tales. Fun for them, I guess...
Barbara
MonajemOh, I
will. I do, about all your books. :) I'll have to
go back and reread Paladin of Souls one of these
days; it's one of my favorites.Oh, I will. I do, about all your
books. :) I'll have to go back and reread Paladin
of Souls one of these days; it's one of my
favorites....more Nov 19,
2016 05:54PM ·
flag
AlealeaOh
twice in the same year ! It's Chrismas early
^^Oh twice in the same year !
It's Chrismas early ^^...more Nov 21,
2016 04:04AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldFor
some reason, you seem to be noticing the few
wider-age-differences couples preferentially. Miles and
Ekaterin, Simon and Alys, Ingrey and Ijada, Ista and
Illvin, Kou and Drou, Fiametta and Thur, Tony and
Claire, Whit and Berry, Iselle and Bergon, and on and
on, are all very close in age. Anyone's guess on Aral
and Cordelia, given the different expected lifespans.
And a sprinkling of others in that decade-ish range --
Gregor and Laisa, Ivan and Tej, Alys and Padma for that
matter.
It's a figure-ground effect. I suppose. The figure
always seems to stand out from the ground, even or
especially when the ground is larger.
My family is small, and so does not offer a wide range
of samples; friends, a few, but they are relatively
rare, as they are in my books.
Ta, L. (It's Fawn, Jole, and Cordelia, btw; I suspect
you are being betrayed by an overaggressive
spellchecker.)
Talli
RuksasI think
the V-verse really does have a fairly large
percentage of significant age gaps between
notable couples - also Baz & Elena, Olivia &
Dono, DuvI think the V-verse really does
have a fairly large percentage of significant age
gaps between notable couples - also Baz & Elena,
Olivia & Dono, Duv & Delia, Tien & Ekaterin,
Silver & Leo, Jin & Aurelia (oh, sorry, that
one's only in my head)....more Nov 21,
2016 05:28PM ·
flag
IndyGirlI
have been struck by the number of age-differences
as well. Cazaril and Beatriz; Ingrey and Ijada;
Iselle and Ias; Aryhs and Cattilara; Ista and
IasI have been struck by the
number of age-differences as well. Cazaril and
Beatriz; Ingrey and Ijada; Iselle and Ias; Aryhs
and Cattilara; Ista and Ias all come immediately
to mind. Don't forget about Iselle and Dondo
;)...more Nov 23,
2016 05:18AM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[First of all, thank you. Miles
Vorkosigan stands with D'artagnan in the chambers of
honor of my mind. The Cetagandan apocalyptic threat
hanging over Barrayarans that you outlined in Gentleman
Jole's is quite book worthy. I am aware that you are not
planning at the moment on writing anything else for the
Vorkosiverse. However, that threat has so much
potential... can I respectfully suggest to you to
reconsider? (hide
spoiler)]
But I'm glad you like the series, and the respect is
always appreciated.
Readers have all kinds of ideas for things for me to
write, far more than any writer could get around, and
this is normal. But my real job is to figure out what
I want to write. I'm afraid it's not
apocalypses, and any development on that potential lies
far past the end of Miles's lifetime, so there's little
attraction for me.
Diego
Sepulveda-fallaThanks. I
understand. I will cross my fingers for Miles to
call your attention again some day. And I'll keep
on reading your wonderful work. Cheers, DThanks. I understand. I will cross
my fingers for Miles to call your attention again
some day. And I'll keep on reading your wonderful
work. Cheers, D....more Nov 22,
2016 02:21PM ·
flag
Why to write is a different question. It is
perfectly possible to write for oneself, for one's own
pleasure -- in fact, that pretty much has to underlie
all other goals, or one might just as well be flipping
burgers for a living, or doing something else more
reliable to get the desired attention or validation.
After that initial joy-in-creation, further ambitions
are up to the individual, and can vary wildly according
to taste.
As a cart-horse-protocol observation, it is generally
necessary to write something before one gets or grows
an audience for it, although one does sometimes see
people trying to do it the other way around. A friend
of mine describes those as "people who want to have
written." Not recommended.
Beyond that, there are lots of ways to reinvent one's
own life, especially necessary for older women, as we
tend to lack satisfactory standard social role models
for actually, like, still being alive when older. If
you ever get to Ista's book, Paladin of Souls,
it addresses some of those issues. (Note it is a sequel
to The Curse of Chalion, however.)
Rebecca
SwisherJudy
Chicago gave a talk in which she said that the
benefit of making art was that you got to make
art. That makes sense to me. My joy has been in
recJudy Chicago gave a talk in which
she said that the benefit of making art was that
you got to make art. That makes sense to me. My
joy has been in recognizing what I want to do and
pursuing it. I like working with clay....more Nov 29,
2016 09:00AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyI’m 70 and
have always wanted to write fiction. But
storytelling doesn’t come naturally to me, so my
occasional attempts in the past got nowhere and
dI’m 70 and have always
wanted to write fiction. But storytelling doesn’t
come naturally to me, so my occasional attempts
in the past got nowhere and didn’t come close to
satisfying myself, let alone anyone else. There
is a theory that anyone can learn to write
fiction, given sufficient persistence and hard
work; but I don’t know whether it’s true, and I
wasn’t willing to invest so much work for a very
uncertain return. I can write English, well
enough that I’m paid to do it; but when writing
fiction I have no idea why my characters should
do one thing rather than another—so, to use a
metaphor, I can’t get onto the bicycle without
falling off. If you can write fiction that
satisfies yourself, you’re way ahead of me and
may be justified in continuing....more Jul 22,
2024 10:34AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldGeorgette Heyer uses it this way
in her Regency historical fiction. It was probably
period slang if used that way, but archaic enough for
my purpose. "Tip" being way too modern in terminology,
although certainly not in fact.
(Emolument might also have done, or, giggling about its
use in Love's Labours Lost, remuneration, but
vail is a shorter word.)
Sheila
HufeldI heard
it used when I was in Ireland in the mid 90s. And
it was used to designate a tip. Dec 17,
2016 09:29AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyThe Oxford
English Dictionary (2nd edition) shows the noun
‘vail’ as meaning an advantage, benefit, or
profit; can mean a tip or a bribe. The word
inThe Oxford English
Dictionary (2nd edition) shows the noun ‘vail’ as
meaning an advantage, benefit, or profit; can
mean a tip or a bribe. The word in these senses
has been in use since the 15th century, but is
now archaic or dialect....more Jan 22,
2024 01:54PM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Why did you leave Penric at the top of a
mountain, with so much of the story unresolved? My brain
is still going round and round at night trying to have an
ending I am unable to create. If I could create an ending
I would be a writer instead of a voracious reader.
(hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
story ran over its length limit. This one is going to
have to be a story arc, I think, spread over more than
one tale. Cold Minnesota winter coming up, here, so you
have a chance to see a continuation at some point.
Anyway, it's not up to me. Print rights are held by
HarperCollins, who may do with them as they wish. In
general, paper reprints of older books are only
financially feasible if it's done in coordination with
release of a new frontlist novel, and sometimes not
even then.
Right now -- I just checked -- you can buy the original
hardcover editions of all three titles used starting at
a penny plus postage on Amazon. (For rather more, you
can buy unused ones signed from Uncle Hugo's Science
Fiction Bookstore here in Minneapolis.) This is not
something a publisher can compete with, for
small-demand items.
LauraY'all
gonna get me summoned out of the woodwork,
banging on about how important Wencel is with
this kind of mutiny. Set. Matching. (That said,
if theY'all gonna get me summoned out of
the woodwork, banging on about how important
Wencel is with this kind of mutiny. Set.
Matching. (That said, if the three did get a
matching re-release, I'll be snapping them
up.)...more Dec 03,
2016 08:02AM ·
flag
Cmorganusjuno.ComActually,
l was dissapointed that the ccover art on the
"Curse of Chalion" wasn't as gorgeous as the last
two. l didn't think it was very acurate
eithActually, l was dissapointed that
the ccover art on the "Curse of Chalion" wasn't
as gorgeous as the last two. l didn't think it
was very acurate either! Oh, well. {) (BTW l
found lovely used 1st addition/hardback on
Amazon. lf you want same sized hardbacks)...more Dec 19,
2016 06:34PM ·
flag
SoftnessI don't
see how Penric is crazy. He actually seems like a
very grounded and adaptive person. Sure, he
stumbled into a difficult situation, but
they'veI don't see how Penric is crazy.
He actually seems like a very grounded and
adaptive person. Sure, he stumbled into a
difficult situation, but they've managed to work
it all out well together....more Dec 03,
2016 08:14AM ·
flag
BethI like
that Krista has a "Bujold shelf." For several
years!I like that Krista has a "Bujold
shelf." For several years!...more Dec 20,
2016 08:38AM ·
flag
SimoneThank
you, that link was just what I was looking for.
:) I found an interview where you recommended the
study of Isabella of Castile. What an
amazingThank you, that link was just what
I was looking for. :) I found an interview where
you recommended the study of Isabella of Castile.
What an amazing period of history! I'm now
reading Isabella The Warrior Queen, by Kirstin
Downey after watching a lecture that she did.
Thank you for sending me down that particular
rabbit hole! :)...more Dec 17,
2016 02:28PM ·
flag
Richard
KulikauskasI don't
know how 'similar' they are, but they are my two
favourite authors, so perhaps there's something
in that. The Curse of Chalion is both my
favoI don't know how 'similar' they
are, but they are my two favourite authors, so
perhaps there's something in that. The Curse of
Chalion is both my favourite Bujold, and also
probably the most Sandersonesque,...more Dec 05,
2016 07:17AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, vat meat and artificial
wombs are standard SF genre furniture for a long time,
and Lake Lethal was based on a real lake in the
Cameroons -- the writers may have read the same article
in Scientific American that I did.
Still, it would be nice to think that I had fans in the
media world.
Mia is Mia Maz's first name. It may be customary in her
culture to go by one's last name, except perhaps for
intimate friends, but in the instance quoted she's
telling him not to use the "milady", as that isn't a
title she has. Yet.
Multiple POVs versus single-viewpoint aren't
necessarily harder or easier, they just present a
different set of challenges. What matters is if the
viewpoint/s chosen and the plot play well together. My
viewpoint characters tend to wrap their plots around
themselves, which risks the plot galloping off in all
directions unless variously controlled.
Karl SmitheJust what
we need; hacks and viruses into peoples brains.
Via wifi of course. Dec 18,
2016 09:30AM
Carol ReichIt's a new
TV show which began this fall. The writers
maintain that a lot of their plots are drawn from
medical advances folks are really working
on,It's a new TV show which
began this fall. The writers maintain that a lot
of their plots are drawn from medical advances
folks are really working on, but......more Dec 18,
2016 09:55PM
DerekThis is
one of my favorite Aral quotes as well. Along
with "Reputation is what other people know about
you. Honor is what you know about yourself."
LoThis is one of my favorite
Aral quotes as well. Along with "Reputation is
what other people know about you. Honor is what
you know about yourself." Lots more great
Vorkosigan quotes here: http://vorkosigan.wikia.com/wiki/Quot......more Dec 20,
2016 05:53AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyI point
out rather mischievously that, if you use your
weapon to kill your enemy instantly, he has no
time to change his mind. Though I suppose you
coI point out rather
mischievously that, if you use your weapon to
kill your enemy instantly, he has no time to
change his mind. Though I suppose you could argue
that death is in itself a change of mind: it
involves a change in mental status from living to
dead. It's just not what we normally think of as
‘changing your mind’....more Jun 25,
2023 12:25PM ·
flag
PennyAudible
has Buroker's books, and while they are fun to
listen to, nothing compares to the Vorkosigan
saga.Audible has Buroker's books, and
while they are fun to listen to, nothing compares
to the Vorkosigan saga....more Dec 22,
2016 08:23PM ·
flag
Federico
Bergstein"A few
similarities" to say the least, I just read the
first book and the female protagonist even says
to the male one something like "my people
will"A few similarities" to say the
least, I just read the first book and the female
protagonist even says to the male one something
like "my people will probably think you
brainwashed me or something". I can't decide if
it's a homage, an unconscious imitation or just
plain theft....more Jan 09,
2017 08:21AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
believe the first two Chalion novels include maps, but
only of the Ibran peninsula where those books take
place. I didn't make more than a penciled note-sketch
map for The Hallowed Hunt (though you can think
"medieval Germany" as a shorthand for the Weald), nor
for the Penric tales so far. (Though you can think
"medieval Switzerland" for the first two stories.)
Don't go overboard trying to draw parallels with
our-world history and geography, though. The
inspirations are fluid.
Or, I see, we have the Ibran maps up at dendarii.com
--
My nonfiction e-book Sidelines: Talks and Essays
has iirc one or two earlier pieces that address the
Five Gods Universe. Or there might be something in the
mass of author interviews also linked at the wiki, but
heaven knows where. Anything Chalion-pertinent would
likely have been done around 2001 - 2005.
For other stories in that universe you'd likely want to
start with The Curse of Chalion -- the author's
note in the back of the Penric e-novellas has more
particulars.
Jonathan
PalfreyThere are
an assortment of sketch maps of various parts of
the world available here and there. I agree that
it would be nice to have a less sketchy maThere are an assortment of sketch
maps of various parts of the world available here
and there. I agree that it would be nice to have
a less sketchy map of the whole of the known
world. Some authors have the inclination and the
ability to produce good maps themselves; others
authorize someone else to do it for them; but
unfortunately most authors don't want to bother
with it at all.
To take an example of the second category, maps
of the Discworld and of Ankh-Morpork have been
authorized by Terry Pratchett and sold as
separate products....more Aug 03,
2020 04:27AM ·
flag
VoralfredThere is
a general map of the Five Gods World,
reconstructed from the books, in fandom site https://chalion.fandom.com/wiki/Chali...
From that page youThere is a general map of the Five
Gods World, reconstructed from the books, in
fandom site https://chalion.fandom.com/wiki/Chali...
From that page you can access more detailed maps
for different areas (Ibran Peninsula, Cedonia and
neighbouring policies, etc.)...more Oct 02,
2021 03:09PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
rather well-supplied at present. Today I finally
downloaded the free Kindle app to my new
tablet-computer to read manga, and found it works a
treat. So that's going to open up new avenues of
exploration for a while. I'm quite looking forward to a
January of staying in and reading!
Lois McMaster
BujoldPlaying 1:1 correspondences
between the books and our world would be an exercise in
frustration, I'm afraid. But Lumpton etc. might be
Central Ohio, maybe. Sort of. It's a bit of
pre-fabricated worldbuilding, not an attempt at
historical fiction with the serial numbers filed
off.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
twins' age may end up being something like the location
of Watson's wound, I'm afraid. You can close much of
any perceived gap by positing 5-almost-6 and
just-turned-11.
Cryoburn takes place approximately 4 years
afterCaptain Vorpatril's Alliance. The trip
Miles take in CVA is Gregor's follow-up to the
Sergyaran weapons theft.
There is also the open question of how long is a year,
as each planet is different. Even more brain-bending is
the question of what time means on opposite sides of a
wormhole jump, but I prudently do not go there.
Lois McMaster
BujoldIt
was a fluke of timing. The Penric tales are
specifically designed to come without deadlines,
contracts tacit or otherwise, or any other constraints
(on me). There may be more. Sometime. If I feel like
it. And I like the idea. And don't have the flu,
travel, broken appliances, house repairs, anything else
I'd rather be doing, etc. The plan is to write them for
me; the rest of you can come along for the ride if you
like. Or not. Whatever... :-)
Ta, L. Semi-retired, trying not to backslide. (But glad
you like Pen. I do, too.)
AngelaAh, those
make the best stories! Happy to be along for the
ride. Hope you enjoy your semi-retirement. Thank
you! Jan 10,
2017 04:56AM ·
flag
Susan PriceI
solemnly swear that the Price family will
purchase and read anything you choose to publish.
No pressure. Because we also reread everything
already oI solemnly swear that the Price
family will purchase and read anything you choose
to publish. No pressure. Because we also reread
everything already out there!...more Jun 29,
2017 12:46PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
am not the person to answer this. I suggest you write
to/inquire of the Hugo administrators, who have contact
info somewhere on the Worldcon website.
Ta, L.
Later: I asked. The view of the Hugo administrators
seems to be that the SFWA ruling is not theirs, and
that fans may nominate the book as usual per its
hardcover first publication date of February 2016,
i.e., for this year's Helsinki Worldcon.
(By the way, anyone who has the chance to go, I
recommend Helsinki and Finland heartily. I had a great
time on a trip there a couple of years back.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldHm,
I think that was my 2008 Denvention Worldcon speech.
Alas, after ten years, I know longer remember how I was
going to develop that metaphor.
It probably had something to do with the notion about
how show breeds are over-bred to the point where they
are no longer functional as dogs, parallel to how genre
stories get over-selected during popular trends till
they are no longer functional as stories. But the
speech was already plenty long, and trends die on their
own, like algae blooms, if, it sometimes seems, not
soon enough. (Dystopias, *cough*.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, it was, and the original is
hanging on my library wall. The picture-as-a-whole was
used for the Science Fiction Book Club combined edition
of the first two volumes.
The first two volumes with the images separated were
supposed to be displayed side-by-side in bookstores,
but alas no bookstores noticed the connection, so that
little bit of intended PR fell through the cracks.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yep, teratomas are deeply weird. But at least
reasonably well understood, nowadays. (That poor
Chalionese proto-oncologist was really struggling.)
The weirdest fictional treatment of a teratoma I have
yet run across was from the Black Jack mangas.
Which are from bizarro-land even by the standards of
manga.
Lois McMaster
BujoldMy
brain seems to be a narrow bridge with only one lane.
Input and output have to wait their turns on each
other. When I'm writing, I have to reduce reading, or
my mind is too full of other people's stuff to hear
myself think.
The internet is especially bad for this, because there
is no such thing as coming to the end and being able to
close it, finished, and move on.
Donatellonerdthank you
for putting your finger on exactly what my
problem with the internet is. I keep thinking if
i had more self-discipline (and the older I
get,thank you for putting your finger
on exactly what my problem with the internet is.
I keep thinking if i had more self-discipline
(and the older I get, the less i seem to have —
having turned 65 this year)....more Jan 24,
2017 04:39AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldSelf-discipline
is our only hope -- the internet isn't going to
stop...
Ta, L.Self-discipline is our only hope
-- the internet isn't going to stop...
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I do revise while writing, but it's so practiced by now
that I hardly have to think about it. The
unit-of-attention is more the paragraph than the
sentence, however, as its shape drives what the
sentences within it need to be. Sentences don't exist
in isolation, after all. (Well, not in prose fiction.)
Beyond that, what I consider the real work-unit for me
is the scene. I usually need to have the whole scene
blocked out before I can start writing.
I have a visual imagination. First I have to think of
the picture/movie of what I'm trying to get down; then,
when it is fairly clear in my mind and captured in
rough notes, the words to describe it follow, floating
up out of wherever they are assembled in my brain. Some
of this happens as part of outlining, some later. It
feels spontaneous at this stage, but it's actually not,
as it doesn't happen without a great deal of
pre-writing thought/work. Tidying the words follows
that. (It could hardly precede it, after all.)
The amount of tidying needed varies. (Sometimes, I get
it right the first time!) Micro-editing tends to
include winkling out word echoes, unknotting
less-than-ideal syntax, and improving word choice. When
I change the actual events being described, I no longer
consider it micro-editing, but most of that gets done
at the prior scene-outline stage.
I do some nudging on the fly as I write, some later on
during one of the many rereads. If the story is flowing
out hot, I pause less.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
Vorhalas is some other Vorhalas. It's not as rare a
name as Vorkosigan.
No other Serg offspring, although the Escobar mess
offers possibilities for AU fanfic. Ditto alternate
fathers for Gregor, but really, with DNA typing,
paternity is not something one can conceal -- even in
the 21st Century, let alone the 30th. (For the AU
fanfic, also consider Aral... heh.)
Meryl
FedermanI thought
Gregor's DNA would probably be known somehow,
though with the little "dodge" in ACC I thought
"maaaaaybe somehow no one ever pinned this
dowI thought Gregor's DNA would
probably be known somehow, though with the little
"dodge" in ACC I thought "maaaaaybe somehow no
one ever pinned this down..." Anyway when a
friend of mine and I discussed alternate
paternity theories based on Ezar saying "Nope,
Kareen, it's going to be someone else", Aral was
the first choice to come up! I came down on the
side of Ezar himself because then Gregor would
still be the heir as second-son (assuming no
pesky other Serg sons), cutting down on potential
problems. Thanks so much - I'll keep the
AU-theories in the AUs! :) -M...more Jan 22,
2017 07:17PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldRe:
agents, I went at it backwards. I had sold/published
several books starting in the mid-80s without one,
began to learn my way around a bit, took advice from a
few writer friends, contacted my agent of choice, and
we first met and shook hands in New York on Nebula
Weekend, 1989. Still with each other. This is not a
route that is really available nowadays, so my
experience is useless for new writers.
My go-to book-or-blog for new writers is Pat Wrede's:
http://www.pcwrede.com/blog/
or her blog e-book, Wrede on Writing. She only
has a little to say about agent hunting, but what she
does offer is sensible and sound.
Start with what Pat has to say, and look over what
other advice you can find -- there will be tons, not
all of it good -- and after that, I'm afraid, you are
on your own.
Terrifying and depressing, yeah. This is normal. Sorry
I can't be more help --
Ta, L.
(I should add, if your agent search does not prosper,
Kristine Katherine Rusch's blog used to have some
informed advice on how to do without one. But she is
very experienced, so I'm not sure how much of what she
advises can really be emulated by a newbie.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
doubt there will be any foreign translations of the
Penric tales until there are enough to collect in a
commercially saleable novel-sized volume, or a couple
of them. Which is going to be a while. It's not viable
for the publisher otherwise.
No, you may not do it yourself, because it would screw
up the later possibility of an actual sale. (Except, I
suppose, privately, for your own consumption. Another
of those don't-ask-don't-tell things.)
If there are professional translators for
self-published e-books, done presumably as
work-for-hire, it's not a part of the e-business I'm
plugged into yet. It would be extremely demanding for
the original author to try to work across many language
platforms, with people one does not know; that's part
of the service an actual foreign publisher provides.
(At no cost to the author.) Better to spend one's time
and brain-budget writing a new work.
Olga
KhenkinThank you
for taking time to explain your position. And I
completely agree regarding new work taking
priority. It's in my interests as a reader,
afterThank you for taking time to
explain your position. And I completely agree
regarding new work taking priority. It's in my
interests as a reader, after all....more Feb 01,
2017 01:03AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I am fond of Megan Whalen Turner's alternate-Greece-ish
series starting with The Thief, and Ben
Aaronovitch's Rivers of London urban fantasy, first
book Rivers of London, retitled Midnight
Riot in its US release.
I have also been drawn into the manga/anime from CLAMP
titled Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, which has
an obligate narrative interlock with their other series
xxxHolic. One can spend many, many hours trying
to figure out wtf is going on with the plot/s, but it's
the characters that induce me to bother.
Lois McMaster
BujoldNo,
you are not alone, but there were several logic
problems with that potential plot development. For one,
it would have required the science crew that
Cordelia had hired to track the course of the
underlying magma to be entirely incompetent at their
jobs. Overstretched they may be; but they are not
useless ditzes. This is a millennium in "our" future;
we must also posit that volcano predictions are much
improved over the benighted 21st Century, just as
health care and space travel are.
Also, on the literary level, it would have required a
coincidence of plot timing of the sort I have been much
criticized-for, in the past.
Much more importantly, on the literary level, it would
have proved an interruption to the story I was telling,
not a part of the story I was telling.
SeanI think it
was perfect as is. There was conflict, but most
importantly, there was resolution. Cordelia's
happy ending, shaded by Aral's not living
toI think it was perfect as
is. There was conflict, but most importantly,
there was resolution. Cordelia's happy ending,
shaded by Aral's not living to see it, but
sweeter for that....more Feb 09,
2017 07:03AM ·
flag
Tara
BozarthWhat are
some of the coincidence of plot timing have you
been accused of? Nov 07,
2017 07:02AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Cedonia is vaguely Greece and Italy munged together.
This world lacks an Italian peninsula as such, although
I posit a chain of islands in their place.
I have not yet devised a map for this region, as I
haven't finished making it up yet. Stories have to pass
through to call their landscapes into existence.
The Weald as an inverted sort-of Germany is correct,
and Penric's native cantons are vaguely Swiss. Further
correspondences may or may not happen, depending on my
tales' needs for pre-fab world-building. People should
not get too carried away with matching games; this is
not historical fiction with the serial numbers filed
off, for all that I may use dismembered bits of history
as plausible (or, sometimes, completely incredible,
because history offers a lot of
no-one-could-make-this-up moments) jumping-off
points.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
don't have anything in mind for more in the Sharing
Knife world at this time, no.
I take my projects one at a time, these days, and don't
try to block out (or block off) the future. So I don't
give definite yesses or nos. (Well, whenever something
is finished in first draft, I'll likely start to
mention it.)
Derek KnoxToo bad,
i always half expected a new story about Wit
convincing Dag to lead a mixed expedition around
the coast to look for the Lakewalkers that
areToo bad, i always half expected a
new story about Wit convincing Dag to lead a
mixed expedition around the coast to look for the
Lakewalkers that are suppose to exist on the far
side of the mountains....more Feb 12,
2017 04:46PM
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
quite fond of Eugenedes and Irene from Megan Whalen
Turner's The Queen's Thief series (starting with
The Thief, and this series should be read in
strict order), for their understated complexity.
Kim LangleyThanks
for telling me about these characters. I am
loving this series! Keep telling us about
favorite reads Lois, because I also discovered
the RiversThanks for telling me about these
characters. I am loving this series! Keep telling
us about favorite reads Lois, because I also
discovered the Rivers of London series through
you and I'm telling everyone about it....more May 13,
2018 05:58AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyI don't
think I have a favourite fictional couple. Might
have been Anthony Villiers and Louisa Parini,
perhaps; but Panshin stopped writing about
themI don't think I have a favourite
fictional couple. Might have been Anthony
Villiers and Louisa Parini, perhaps; but Panshin
stopped writing about them before they became a
couple. I like Miles and Ekaterin as a couple. I
liked Albert Campion and Amanda Fitton when they
first met, but the later progression of that
relationship was relatively disappointing....more Jul 11,
2022 08:39AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldSince most of the subsequent
plots of the books hinge on that particular
newbie-regent mistake of Aral's, I'm afraid poor Carl
is doomed without reprieve.
I was thinking of early Sydney Harbor for Cordelia's
cove. If the family manages to hang on to that stretch
of shoreline for a century or two, the property values
are going to be astonishing.
Claire HessYes,
thank you, L; stick with what worked! Pour Carl
and eventually pour Aral but the story is the
story; everyone has hard times. Harry and
HermioneYes, thank you, L; stick with what
worked! Pour Carl and eventually pour Aral but
the story is the story; everyone has hard times.
Harry and Hermione both wanted family, not
another lonely isolation; why can't people see
the story that is there? Other options are for
fanfic....more Feb 15,
2017 05:49AM ·
flag
IndyGirlAral
learned a tremendous life as well as leadership
lesson from his decision to execute Carl. I'm
always heartbroken when I read that chapter and
appAral learned a tremendous life as
well as leadership lesson from his decision to
execute Carl. I'm always heartbroken when I read
that chapter and appreciate LMB's creation of all
the events that occur from his mistaken
decision....more Feb 15,
2017 11:12AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldHm.
In the very formal venue of the Residence, classical,
waltz 'n schmaltz, rather military march-ish when they
want to liven the dance up. Think Russian folk dances,
also. (Interesting speculation what Gregor listens to
when by himself, on his Imperial headphones, but I bet
it's not more of that.)
What Barrayaran popular music generally consists of,
post-Time-of-Isolation, is another question, with a
much more varied answer, especially over a century of
time. Marching bands not-military are a thing
mentioned, and competitions for same, leading to really
complicated drills (and trills.) We've seen folk music
by actual folk, up in the Dendarii Mountains, at least.
Plus all those galactic influences and fads pouring in,
mixing things up. I expect the music scene on Barrayar
is very lively and much debated/argued-about. Puts me
in mind of a character mentioned in, iirc, the Liavek
fantasies, as a celebrated theater critic and
duelist...
Peter
TillmanHuh. Had
no idea. From Startrek fangirl to fame &
ricjes! Feb 20,
2017 07:46AM
Peter
TillmanWho knew?
And no "edit out the idiot typos" feature
either!
Kinda like "ricjes". Has thar Arfikaans feel to
it....
Sor LoisWho knew? And no "edit out the
idiot typos" feature either!
Kinda like "ricjes". Has thar Arfikaans feel to
it....
Sor Lois...more Feb 20,
2017 07:49AM
Nathaniel
Martin-longOn the
subject of fanfiction, I found a small batch of
Vorkosigan fanfiction on fanfiction .net. The
only one I read, the description really caught
myOn the subject of
fanfiction, I found a small batch of Vorkosigan
fanfiction on fanfiction .net. The only one I
read, the description really caught my attention,
involved the discussion that Gregor Vorbarra had
with Cordelia regarding his fathers sadism. As I
was reading it, I could have sworn I was reading
your own work; the cadence, style and humor were
(for the most part) spot on. You may have a clone
wandering around from Jackson's Whole seeking to
replace you -- best be careful....more Mar 02,
2017 06:06PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I figured the temple designs and decorations should
vary by regions, their climates, building materials,
and histories. In the Ibran peninsula, where temples
keep changing hands as the endemic wars move over them,
being able to alter allegiances without having to tear
down the whole building is more parsimonious. Smaller
wooden temples can get away with a pentagonal design,
but once one hits the weight of stone buildings,
stresses must be more carefully balanced, hence 5 sides
plus devoted entry = a more even 6. Wooden carvings
where wood is abundant, stone and mosaics and frescoes
where it is not. And so on, as my invention holds up,
my stories meander geographically, and my historical
reading matter inspires or informs (or corrects.)
Claire HessThank
you, L! Your biology is always so interesting,
but this cultural and religious architectural
progression also delighted me. The structural
needsThank you, L! Your biology is
always so interesting, but this cultural and
religious architectural progression also
delighted me. The structural needs of such
buildings had not occurred to me....more Feb 25,
2017 03:23PM ·
flag
As a general rule, readers inclined to the game of
"spot the sources" tend to ascribe influences based on
what they know, not on what the author knows/knew.
Academics are possibly the worst offenders. (Though
they can be right twice a day.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldYou
can send me e-mail through the Goodreads messaging
system -- if you can figure out how to work it. There
may be snags, such as having to be friended or
something first; more experienced Goodreaders maybe
able to chime in on the protocols.
I much prefer e-mail to snail mail, as it is vastly
easier to answer.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
At one time, I had plans in that direction, but the
books seriously failed to materialize. Really, both
gods ought to be fraught with possibilities, but
neither seem to be speaking to me. No juice.
At the moment, I'm finding Penric and Desdemona's
slightly more comic tone to be more congenial. And
their shorter lengths way less daunting and
exhausting.
Starsreaderalrighty,
looking forward to more Penrics... Sep 03,
2019 04:33AM ·
flag
ScottAnd since
this popped back up and I'm feeling bold, I do
have to say I'd love to hear the tale of a murder
mystery set in the world of the Five Gods.And since this popped back up and
I'm feeling bold, I do have to say I'd love to
hear the tale of a murder mystery set in the
world of the Five Gods. On top of that, it would
be really fun to see the byplay of influences
from the son, daughter, and bastard on a father's
solemn chosen. Think inverse of Ista; a man(?) of
deep solemnity that doesn't like humor, raucous
joy, or jovial intellectuals surrounded by the
same while trying to DO THEIR JOB (which to them
is holier than normal)? I get that this may not
be speaking to you and that's what matters (on
top of the workload) but it just sounded so fun I
had to share the thought. Though in hindsight, I
guess we got that with Penric's Fox, so I'll shut
up happily and say,"Thank you!"...more Sep 03,
2019 12:19PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The recordings were made in different orders, some
before the narrator was able to catch up with me for
pronunciations. So I'm not surprised it's a bit random.
Dendarii is den-DARE-ee, Galeni is gah-LEE-ni.
Gwendolyn
PattonI believe
"Memory" was Grover Gardner's first narration,
and between it and "Komarr", he got the right
pronunciations down. Then he cycled back to
theI believe "Memory" was
Grover Gardner's first narration, and between it
and "Komarr", he got the right pronunciations
down. Then he cycled back to the beginning
through to where he started at "Memory", jumped
over it and Komarr and picked back up at Civil
Campaign through to Gentleman Jole.
I hope he does a reading of Flowers of Vashnoi,
which was wonderful, BTW....more Jun 07,
2018 07:21AM
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
going to have a couple of things coming up in mid-March
in honor of "Penric and the Shaman", at Dreamhaven and
Uncle Hugo's respectively. I'll be putting the details
up on my blog sometime in the next few days, when they
are all firmed up.
I've also committed to Convergence, the July 4th-ish
(6th - 9th) big con this summer.
We'll have to see about the hand; I'm slated for some
surgery on it in late March. We might just have to wave
at each other. (-:
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
made it up for the sound of it, and in some small part
because the letter I was using for a placeholder in the
first draft while I was thinking up yet another name
was "Z". It has no outside referent.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
read a certain amount of poetry in my younger days,
some of which sticks with me. I've not read much
lately, but I suppose it's in there as an influence
underneath somewhere.
We all listen to a lot more poetry daily than we
realize, because song lyrics are nothing but that.
People who say "poetry doesn't sell" are overlooking
the multi-billion-dollar music industry.
David
WooddellWhen I
took creative writing classes, studying under the
estimable teaching of Frank Case at Eastern
Michigan, he always commented that my poetry
reseWhen I took creative writing
classes, studying under the estimable teaching of
Frank Case at Eastern Michigan, he always
commented that my poetry resembled song lyrics
more than poetry. At the time, I thought that was
something wrong with my poetry, but in later
years, I realized I was in the wrong class. I
should have been taking song writing instead of
poetry. But Frank Case was a wonderful teacher.
He actually read my writing....more Feb 25,
2017 04:43AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldI'm
always suspicious of those sorts of distinctions,
being of the belief that they are more about
maintaining status boundaries that they are about
aI'm always suspicious of
those sorts of distinctions, being of the belief
that they are more about maintaining status
boundaries that they are about art. Or heart.
Though I suppose there can be legitimate,
analytical reasons to make them as well. To talk
about a thing in order to fix it, it helps to
have vocabulary words. It depends, I suppose, on
the purpose for which the jargon is deployed.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
You'll have to ask the movie makers that question. It's
not up to me.
(That said, making a movie from my writing would be a
lot harder than it looks at first glance, due to the
fact that so much of what is interesting is going on
inside the characters' heads, nearly impossible to show
from the outside.)
AnnI
normally shudder at the notion of my favorite
books being made into films or television series,
but some recent successes (The Expanse springs to
miI normally shudder at the
notion of my favorite books being made into films
or television series, but some recent successes
(The Expanse springs to mind) make me wish
someone with a love of your works took a crack at
scripting a limited series of one of your
novels...more Apr 12,
2017 05:33AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyFilms made
from books are usually less good than the
original books; sometimes much less good. And the
stories usually have to be heavily
abbreviatedFilms made from books are usually
less good than the original books; sometimes much
less good. And the stories usually have to be
heavily abbreviated to fit into the normal length
of a film. It is true that books allow you to
listen in to the thoughts of a character, whereas
in films you have to make do with dialogue and
body language....more Oct 17,
2024 08:38AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, my standard answer to this question lately has
been Megan Whalen Turner and Ben Aaronovitch. In older
work, Georgette Heyer can still be fun. Jennifer Crusie
for more contemporary. If you are looking to widen your
scope into manga, some of the works of CLAMP are pretty
good. Some of theirs are misses for me, but the
cross-connected series xxxHolic and Tsubasa:
Reservoir Chronicle really worked for me,
eventually, although they take considerable commitment
to unravel. I have a review section up around here
somewhere... ah.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
having fun with them too, although I'm making no
promises as to frequency. But the chance at a lot of
variety is enticing. (Of course, for that one also
needs a character who is capable of supporting more
than one sort of story.) Also, for me the beginning of
writing a novel is generally something fresh, and the
end is rewarding, but the middle is a slog. Novellas
have a lot less middle.
The new e-markets have really opened up more potential
variety for story length, as well. In the days of the
paper magazines, the issues couldn't fit in very many
novellas. In the more recent years of publishing,
editors needed big bricks so as to be able to justify
the big prices required to cover all their costs. For
original e-books and stories, nothing has to be
stretched or padded or truncated to fit any particular
economic model. It reminds me of that quip, "How long
are your legs?" "Long enough to reach the ground."
E-tales can be just long enough to reach the
ground.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThere may be a couple of
collections in the future, but it will be the rather
far future. Breath-holding is still contraindicated.
This is my semi-retirement project, after all.
There might be more, maybe. Sometime. If and when there
is, I will certainly tell y'all.
I admit, I'm finding my own Kindle easier to carry
around, although I'm still terribly afraid I will
drop/break/lose it somehow. Also, it's like having an
instant bookstore/library in my purse. The expandable
type for my eyes and light weight/lack of need to hold
pinched open for my increasingly arthritic hands are
also a plus.
SusanAlthough
I really prefer books in print on my shelves (all
the Vorkosigans are there in hardback) I do have
Penric and Flowers of Vashnoi on my Nook,Although I really prefer books in
print on my shelves (all the Vorkosigans are
there in hardback) I do have Penric and Flowers
of Vashnoi on my Nook, since that's the only way
they were available. I tend to re-read paper
books oftener than my electronic ones,
too....more Mar 14,
2019 09:30PM ·
flag
SusanRe the fear
of dropping/losing/etc an e-reader: I had the
same fear when I was given my Nook years ago. The
first thing I bought was a cover to help pRe the fear of dropping/losing/etc
an e-reader: I had the same fear when I was given
my Nook years ago. The first thing I bought was a
cover to help protect the glass; the second thing
was a purse-type bag with a long handle that just
fits the Nook and even has an external pocket for
stashing whatever (as long as it's small and/or
flat.) Whenever I take my Nook anywhere (e.g., to
dine when I'm alone), it always goes in its own
carrybag. Easy to haul, and harder to
forget....more Aug 15,
2019 09:25PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Sounds like a job for FanficWoman. Or FanficMan, I
suppose. (Although don't ask, don't tell -- me at
least.)
More seriously, it is a good thing when one's
world-building, not to mention character-building,
appears to readers to run past the edge of the page or
the end of the book. It suggests they have actually
become engaged with one's art, which is kind of the
goal.
To answer your more specific questions, Cordelia and
Jole never marry, although after 20 or more years of it
they might as well be, and neither gets posted off
planet (although they may travel) because they are both
very soon out of the sorts of jobs that can compel such
things.
(Though it does occur to me that their 20th anniversary
will be a strange frisson for Jole, because it will
mark the beginning of more years than he'd been with
Aral, and their 40th ditto for Cordelia. After that
it's Sergyar Incognita for both.)
Katrine
CadyThe magic
of your writing is that your worlds and
characters become SO REAL in our own
imaginations. They bring forth such strong
emotions. My heart aThe magic of your writing is that
your worlds and characters become SO REAL in our
own imaginations. They bring forth such strong
emotions. My heart ached for MIles in Memory,
filled with elation for him after Civil Campaign,
and I cried at the end of Cryoburn. Thank you for
your gift to us all....more Mar 14,
2017 09:32AM ·
flag
Laer
CarrollThanks.
It's strange when some fictional characters are
more real to us than our distant
relatives!Thanks. It's strange when some
fictional characters are more real to us than our
distant relatives!...more Mar 16,
2017 04:19PM ·
flag
DianaI really
lve Cordelia, and I missed her a lot throughout
the Miles books (although she was always in the
background, I always felt she was too big a
cI really lve Cordelia, and I
missed her a lot throughout the Miles books
(although she was always in the background, I
always felt she was too big a character to not
have her own stories told. But please, please
give us some novels with their daughters... How
is Aurelia doing these days?...more Mar 18,
2017 04:35AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
afraid not. There are a few comments sprinkled here and
there, variously cynical or sincere (or both) on the
subject of the Vor at war, but I have no idea which may
be the one you are thinking of. Or where to find them.
Remember, I wrote some of those books over 30 years
ago.
SeantheaussieDerek that
is certainly the most memorable sentence in the
passage, summing up the scene pithily. Yet when I
read the quote the sentence that sends aDerek that is certainly the most
memorable sentence in the passage, summing up the
scene pithily. Yet when I read the quote the
sentence that sends a shiver down my spine is
"Twenty or thirty men started up from their
benches."
These are self entitled millionaires,
billionaires and rulers, yet they are willing,
even eager to instantly attack an unarmed man
with their bare hands, and the fact that so many
do so at once makes them all safe. That is an
admirable cultural trait, one that would be
extremely useful with the "active shooters" of
today. The 3 American friends on the Belgian
train acted as one to stop a shooter but in many
other instances I bet the brave acted alone and
died for their efforts.
I like to think that those Vor who were in the
front ranks and did nothing were ashamed of
themselves and despised by others....more Mar 14,
2017 01:05PM ·
flag
RachelThe one
that stuck with me was:
Ekaterin: So, wouldn't you have put your life on
the line to stop them?
Miles: Yes, but I wasn't putting my life---I
wasThe one that stuck with me
was:
Ekaterin: So, wouldn't you have put your life on
the line to stop them?
Miles: Yes, but I wasn't putting my life---I was
putting yours.
E: But I'm Vor,
M: True Vor, milady....more Feb 04,
2018 07:57AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldNo
such plans at this time. Just now I'm on a kick for the
Penric novellas; after that, who knows, but I'm more
likely to move forward than circle back.
JerriI hope
that the Penric/Desdemona kick continues for some
time. I love the balance between humor and
adventure and ethical thoughts and great
characterI hope that the Penric/Desdemona
kick continues for some time. I love the balance
between humor and adventure and ethical thoughts
and great characters and much more....more Mar 15,
2017 06:43PM ·
flag
Susan PriceThe Price
family also love Penric - but, to be honest, we
love anything you've chosen to write thus
far.The Price family also love Penric
- but, to be honest, we love anything you've
chosen to write thus far....more Mar 20,
2017 11:15AM ·
flag
Bob IrwinMiles has
children............... Aug 08,
2017 11:49AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
My paper consumption has varied over the years. In the
beginning, it was a 3-ring notebook and some pencils, a
laboriously typed first draft with two carbons (one for
Pat and one for Lillian) and a final draft ditto (but
not dittoed.) I could not afford photocopying.
Paper consumption went up as I entered the computer
years, and could print out test readers' copies at
will. My agent also needed two copies of the final, one
for the publisher, one to be photocopied multiple times
for foreign submissions and shipped overseas. So during
the 90s, one novel could consume a nearly 10-ream
carton of paper, and that was just on my end. Not to
mention keeping the post office busy lugging it all
back and forth.
Around the turn of the millennium, I started submitting
e-files to Baen, often with a paper copy backup as
well. It took a long time for the supporting paper
copies to drop out, as publishers gradually joined the
20th Century, or rather, old staffers retired or died
and were replaced by newer ones. It's only in the past
few years that my submissions process, including to and
by my agent, has become entirely paperless.
It's also only in the last few years that my writing
has become paperless. Gentleman Jole and the Red
Queen was the first novel I wrote without making a
complete running printout, punched and put in a binder
as I went, although I still printed certain sections
for various purposes. So it's only as I reached the
Penric tales that I have started to use no paper at
all, except to print out a section to take to a reading
or something.
My recent galleys have all come as pdf files, too. It
took me a bit to get used to that, but I've converted
now. (It probably also helps a lot that I now have less
unwieldy computers with better screens to read them on.
My new Lenovo X1 Yoga is downright addictive. It does
splendid things for manga.) Don't underestimate the
impact the improvements in reading devices have had on
fostering all this.
So on my end, a case of paper has dropped to a fraction
of a ream, over the past... urk, it can't be 20
years...?
At my last move, three years ago, I donated a whole
packed bedroom of manuscripts, paper files and whatnot
to the collection at Northern Illinois University;
better them than me. I lugged all that stuff after me
for years, and I so don't miss it now.
Judy R.Does
the NIU allow viewing of the
collection? Apr 07,
2017 03:21PM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyI've been
working as a technical writer since 1986, writing
documentation in the computer industry, and my
work has been written on the computer and
pI've been working as a
technical writer since 1986, writing
documentation in the computer industry, and my
work has been written on the computer and
paperless from the beginning. For much of this
century, most of the output to customers has been
paperless too: most of the documentation I write
is supplied to customers as PDF or XHTML files,
not on paper. If they feel an urge to have it on
paper, they can print it themselves. My archive
of old projects is stored in a little pile of
DVDs....more Jan 14,
2020 12:16AM ·
flag
SuelibevgThere's a
website called paperback swap that also has
audiobooks. You might try checking and see if
there are some available. Or used from
Amazon.There's a website called paperback
swap that also has audiobooks. You might try
checking and see if there are some available. Or
used from Amazon....more Mar 22,
2017 12:56PM ·
flag
Derek KnoxThose were
great versions. Mar 22,
2017 08:18PM ·
flag
SteveI still
have my excellent tape of them doing *Falling
Free*. Feb 27,
2018 10:20AM ·
flag
AndrewSending
well wishes to your hand! [Side note: the current
Ghost in the Shell movie, starring Scarlett
Johansson, an adaptation of the classic anime,
jSending well wishes to your
hand! [Side note: the current Ghost in the Shell
movie, starring Scarlett Johansson, an adaptation
of the classic anime, just flopped at the box
office]...more Apr 04,
2017 04:59PM ·
flag
AnnI just
got the notice from Audible this week that Mira's
Last Dance is available. Yay!I just got the notice from Audible
this week that Mira's Last Dance is available.
Yay!...more Jun 14,
2017 04:14AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not as relayed, no. But I have mixed in trying to
improve my covers from time to time, and it has never
helped. I mostly don't try anymore.
I am more relaxed about it all in these later days,
when I no longer imagine a bad cover will sink my whole
career. (Well, maybe that Paladin of Souls one
in Britain, but I gave up on the UK market years
ago.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold1)
Somewhere about the middle of the first draft of
Shards of Honor, and 2) yes, the misnamed
"bugs", horned hoppers, some unnamed sea life on the
shore of Kyril Island, other bits along the way. Alas,
nothing big and exciting like Barrayaran were-tigers or
anything. The vegetation gets described repeatedly.
At one point, very early on in the story development,
I'd toyed with the idea of an alien contact/invasion to
keep my two protagonists working together but apart for
the second half of the book, but the Barrayaran war
idea worked much better, more intrinsically. I was also
interested in exploring the bioengineered-future
all-the-aliens-were-us trope. The Barrayar stories give
a snapshot of that very long-range project just
begining.
Lois McMaster
BujoldFour different UK book publishers
over two decades failed to sell my books to their
satisfaction (or mine). The last-but-one forgot that
they had bought three books from me, and would not
have published them at all except that we prodded them
as the license was about to expire. Just as the line
was dying; the editor brought in to oversee this demise
didn't even bother to read them in order to write cover
copy, but just cobbled something together from online
reviews. Sales (once they bothered to print them) were
microscopic. The last publisher dropped my series
midway because they failed to sell enough copies, which
they phrased as, the book failed to sell enough
copies.
That book was Paladin of Souls, winner of the
Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards for best novel, and a
NYTimes bestseller. Yeah.
I don't know what's wrong with British publishers
versus me, but it was plain by then that it was nothing
I could fix by writing better or faster or anything
else under my actual control to do.
Happily, my direct-placement e-books have given me a
way to route completely around the UK publishers and
book distribution and reach readers directly. My
e-titles on iTunes and Amazon UK have been selling
modestly but steadily since 2011, with no sign of
slacking off. As more UK readers get into e-books, I
expect that to continue.
JaceyI'm
British, but I'm only published in America (by
DAW), and I know other british (female) SF
authors in a similar situation. Most
disappointing.I'm British, but I'm only
published in America (by DAW), and I know other
british (female) SF authors in a similar
situation. Most disappointing....more Jun 07,
2017 07:38AM ·
flag
CarroIncidentally,
I bought all your books in paperback via
Amazon.co.uk and they sell US editions in the UK.
So you do have a longstanding market in the
UIncidentally, I bought all
your books in paperback via Amazon.co.uk and they
sell US editions in the UK. So you do have a
longstanding market in the UK, it is just rather
difficult to track separately, I suspect....more Jun 05,
2018 01:35PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, I did know about the
upcoming Turner -- it sounds very interesting. I
probably won't get to a podcast due to my 24/7 being
already pretty full, but it's good to know such things
exist.
ChrisS-Town is
amazing. I am on Episode 3. Which person would
you say is like Miles? @Anna Phillips? Is it
John? Or someone who shows up later? Apr 23,
2017 11:09AM ·
flag
Anna
PhillipsI think
John is. If Miles had been stranded on Barrayar
or if he'd become Admiral Naismith entirely and
kind of.... surrendered to his mania.I think John is. If Miles had been
stranded on Barrayar or if he'd become Admiral
Naismith entirely and kind of.... surrendered to
his mania....more Apr 23,
2017 04:18PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, we're still a long way from
Beta Colony -- but not as far as some people think.
This isn't imaginary biology, the way my
wormholes are imaginary physics.
Laure
ReminickWhen I
saw this in the news, immediately thought of
sending it to Lois. They say it's just for
preemies now. But I predict much more in the
(far?) futWhen I saw this in the news,
immediately thought of sending it to Lois. They
say it's just for preemies now. But I predict
much more in the (far?) future!...more Apr 26,
2017 09:02AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
wouldn't go overboard with the credit if I were you.
Aldous Huxley was playing with the trope, which has
become standard genre furniture, as early as 1932. He
was using it for quite different narrative purposes
than I was, true. (Exploring some peculiarly British
class issues, metaphorically, if I recall from my one
reading of, good grief, half a century ago.)
Not to mention fantasy precursors as far back as the
Mahabharata, though I'm not sure how to count
those.
Lois McMaster
BujoldShe
died at the massacre, and I can't tell you anything
else about her. Iirc she was supposed to be younger
than Aral, but who knows. Alas for a character whose
only shot at existence is a throw-away line...
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes. As has been pointed out by
someone, it's still a long way to a tech that goes from
IVF to live birth, but it may well be a start on
closing the gap.
Lois McMaster
BujoldA
lot of folks must have seen that news... It's a step,
but there is still a long way to go before maternal
mortality and morbidity becomes a thing of the
past.
Lois McMaster
BujoldAll
editions of the 3-novella collection Borders of
Infinity include the framing story between the 3
sections. Do not confuse the collection with the (also
published independently as an e-book) single novella
"The Borders of Infinity", which contains that story
only.
(If I had known how much confusion it was going to
create 25 years later, I would have titled the
collection something else, but it is now Too Late.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
am not planning to go, but I can absolutely recommend
Helsinki, and Finland, to those who are. Allow time to
look around! (I can personally rec the National History
Museum on Mannerheimintie as a strategic place to
start.)
Talli
RuksasDid you
get to the zoo? Have to take a boat since it's on
an island.Did you get to the zoo? Have to
take a boat since it's on an island....more May 17,
2017 01:14AM ·
flag
Lois Bujold@
Talli, No, but I did get a wonderful harbor tour
by boat, with lunch laid on. Very memorable.
The naming convention cited is a custom, not a law;
it's common but not invariable. Despite Miles's
self-interested pitch to Mark that time. (Miles in hot
pursuit of an agenda is not a reliable source.)
The Britishisms are a combo of "not from around here",
a nod to Barrayar's founder population and history, and
an effect of me reading so much Brit lit.
DeeHuh. Well,
that's weird - I never even noticed the
Britishisms! Either I was enjoying the books so
much I ignored them or me being English they just
sHuh. Well, that's weird - I
never even noticed the Britishisms! Either I was
enjoying the books so much I ignored them or me
being English they just seemed perfectly normal.
Debating a reread now in search of said
Britishisms.......more May 19,
2017 08:02AM
I have a writer friend with eye problems who is doing a
lot of audiobook listening now, too. At least the
offerings are hugely more abundant these days, with
e-downloads.
At present, I am merely rationing my reading time. (Or
should be. I know I've been overdoing it when I start
seeing double through one eye.) I expect I'll be
forced to more self-discipline in due course. My
creative process is very visual and kinesthetic,
seeming to demand written notes and visual feedback;
I'm not sure how much of a stretch trying to put my
lagging audio brain into the loop would be, but I'd
need to be more desperate than this. So, no advice on
audio writing aids from me yet, but maybe others could
chime in in the comments?
PeterDavid
Weber writes all his books using the dragon
software - could be worthwhile talking to
him. Jun 04,
2017 04:45PM ·
flag
Adamthe native
dictation software on the iphone or mac is very
good. a note on macular degeneration. although it
probably won't be available for another 1the native dictation software on
the iphone or mac is very good. a note on macular
degeneration. although it probably won't be
available for another 10-15 years, there has been
recent success in transplanting iPS cell-derived
RPG cells into damaged retinas. In monkeys, and
there in one human trial so far. (my bias is that
I work at this institute, but I think the science
is slowly becoming a reality)
http://www.riken.jp/en/pr/press/2016/......more Jun 05,
2017 07:10PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
would like there to be more, too. Things are slow at
present due to the hand-surgery thing, which has taken
far more recovery time than I anticipated. Also, still
semi-retired. I have some broad ideas; it's the work
and detail work that's the block just now. Also, it's
summer outside! It's Minnesota, don't blink!
Lois McMaster
Bujold
1 - Physically, perhaps; Sara's in her mid-30s when
last seen by her narrative. I don't think she'd want
to. Being mistress of her own estate, and far away from
the scenes of her former pain, may be enough for her.
(But you may imagine whatever you like; published canon
offers no constraints.)
2 - That's just how Cordelia walked onto the page. Not
reason or consequence or author agenda, merely initial
condition. There are plenty of sound scientists out
there who also quietly hold religious beliefs. (Guy
Consolmagno, SJ, for a case in point -- you can likely
look him him up. MIT grad and Vatican astronomer.) It's
just that the noisy nutbars get all the press.
Though not for lack of having been asked. But it runs
very counter to the series' thematic structure (yes, it
has one), and even more counter to the intuitive way I
write. It would not only be far more work, and much
less fun, than writing tales myself, it would block my
work on other, newer things, dragging me backward. Not
a win from my point of view.
Helenso glad
you said no, it's so obvious when someone else
writes the story, it doesn't flow the
same!!!!!!!so glad you said no, it's so
obvious when someone else writes the story, it
doesn't flow the same!!!!!!!...more Jul 02,
2017 04:53AM ·
flag
Part of my, hm, not plan but hope for the Penric tales
is to keep the series structure as loose as possible.
(Think how, say, the original Sherlock Holmes stories
work by accumulation while stitching back and forth in
the characters' lives, although they have the
card-up-the-sleeve of Watson's after-the-fact
narration.) I'd like to be able to jump around in Pen's
timeline at will, although my prior experience does
show if one jumps too far forward too fast it tends to
block off sectors for development, so there are some
limits on that score. But not nearly as many as with
more rigid sequential-chronological structures. See
The Sharing Knife tetralogy for a worked example
at the opposite end of the spectrum.
I do plan/hope to do more with Pen in Cedonia, but
those ideas aren't quite ripe yet.
AdamThanks for
the info. I like that Penric travels around so
that we can see the whole world. And I liked the
ending of the last one! Jun 27,
2017 09:03PM ·
flag
Jane
BigelowSo glad to
see that there will be more! Jul 03,
2017 04:20PM ·
flag
Joseph
SelbyPenric
could be his own Watson when Des finally jumps to
another rider. That would be an amusing parallel.
:) Jul 04,
2017 09:25AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'd like to get my self-pubbed books on Overdrive, yes,
but my current helpers are not set up for it, and I'm
not up to doing it by myself. So it's a hung project at
present.
The audio books are placed in Overdrive through and by
Blackstone, good on 'em. And, I believe, HarperCollins
have placed my fantasies from them.
AndreaSelf-e
doesn't pay royalties (see discussion here:
https://janefriedman.com/conversation... ).
Smashwords pays royalties (though does give you
the optSelf-e doesn't pay royalties (see
discussion here:
https://janefriedman.com/conversation... ).
Smashwords pays royalties (though does give you
the option to charge libraries a special library
rate if you want)....more Jul 03,
2017 12:19AM ·
flag
Mary BertkeUm...what
all is required to get one released on Overdrive?
I have time between contracts (I'm a technical
writer), so I have some time on my hands,
aUm...what all is required to
get one released on Overdrive? I have time
between contracts (I'm a technical writer), so I
have some time on my hands, and I have Scrivener
and Calibri....more Jul 15,
2017 08:37AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
used to, but I am doing very, very few cons these days.
Part of my semi-retirement is retirement from PR/public
speaking, which would eat my life if I let it.
Also, NESFA Press has the first eight titles (which
were original paperbacks when they first came out) as
nice hardcover reprints, although that only goes up a
till my first printings started coming out as
hardcovers.
I've experimented with doing workshops and other
teaching gigs in the past, but I am not comfortable
with them. Much of my semi-retirement consists of
bowing out of such PR-related tasks.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
In the real world, indeed, there aren't any definitive
endings. That's one of its many differences from
fiction.
A present, I prefer to leave the series as it
stands.
It does make me wonder, though -- how many kinds of
things do different readers parse as an "ending"? (I
mean, besides the writer dropping dead, which in this
world of publisher work-for-hire extensions isn't even
a sure bet.) Anyone want to say in the comments?
Observations of series dragged out beyond their natural
ends can be instructive, as well. I touched on this a
little somewhere in the recent manga and anime
discussion on my blog.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
My mind has no wish to be plumbed at this time, nor
even have wiring run in, but off the top I can direct
you to T. E. Lawrence, Basil Liddell Hart, John Keegan,
and Barbara Tuchman.
Probably about a hundred more historians and memoirists
(first-hand accounts are way the best) whose names
escape me without a major spelunking. I read a lot of
this stuff back in my teens, when WWII was still
saturating the zeitgeist, and my 20s. I was recently
reminded of Bat Bomb by Jack Couffer, my fave
WWII memoir, although it has no actual war in it.
Unless you count burning down the army air corps
base.
I don't think you realize how far down and murky the
depths of my mind are by now. A lot of my references
are reduced to hand-waving and things like, "that
memoir by the youngest paratrooper general (oh, Gavin),
or "that appalling account of the Bataan death march"
(could be any of many), or "the one by the Pacific
pilot (Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, aha!) or "the one
about the Flying Tigers", or, "the one about the borked
first landing in Italy", or... And so on.
You could just take it chronologically, and start with
Thucydides, I suppose. Or Herodotus. I can't say that
either informed my mind that much, but I guarantee many
of the military geeks you wish to study, studied them.
Have not read Julius Caesar, but he still has works in
print, too.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Slow to change; standards for military pilots tend to
be stricter; and employers generally want to duck any
perceived risk of health-care costs.
Judy R.Well,
employers do today in the USA, where we still
base health care on employment, unlike the rest
of the developed world. Surely by this future
timeWell, employers do today in the
USA, where we still base health care on
employment, unlike the rest of the developed
world. Surely by this future time that would be
an anachronism?...more Jul 27,
2017 11:40AM ·
flag
Cmorganusjuno.ComLike Miles
said, why be a military pilot, with a lot of ,
boringly routine flights when you could be a wide
ranging commercial fleet! Jul 29,
2017 09:42PM ·
flag
John Mead"There are
reasons writers are better off working alone..."
reminds me of my reading Georgette Heyer on the
couch of the living room of my grad school"There are reasons writers are
better off working alone..." reminds me of my
reading Georgette Heyer on the couch of the
living room of my grad school apartment,
sniggering my head off, to the point that my
apartment mate would come storming out of his
room, shouting "Why aren't you studying?"; He was
working on a PhD in Optical Physics, me, an MLS.
Guess who had to study harder? Besides, I've
_always_ chosen reading for pleasure over
studying, which is why I rarely got anything
better than a B....more Sep 16,
2017 05:56AM ·
flag
PatThey do
say Jane Austen giggled to herself while writing
of Elizabeth Bennett. Jun 15,
2024 09:14AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't, really, have a 30-volume set of the
Encyclopedia Barrayarica (with commentaries) in
my garage, so readers are free to speculate about
questions like this as best suits their needs. (They
will anyway, I have discovered.)
CelestiaIt's
mentioned in Komarr that a large percentage of
Barrayaran women who move to Komarr for higher
education do not return, and this has caused
alarmeIt's mentioned in Komarr that a
large percentage of Barrayaran women who move to
Komarr for higher education do not return, and
this has caused alarmed Barrayaran men to submit
a petition to deny them exit visas....more Jul 27,
2017 04:41AM
Derek@Celestia:
Sure, and that makes a lot of sense. My comment
was aimed at the timeframe mentioned by the OP
regarding the end of the time of
isolation.@Celestia: Sure, and that makes a
lot of sense. My comment was aimed at the
timeframe mentioned by the OP regarding the end
of the time of isolation. But to your point -
they have to escape _first_ in order to find out
that it's better elsewhere, they aren't leaving
because they know it's better. And they're
leaving to find a better education, which means
that they are free to leave, yet don't - implying
that living conditions for them are not nearly as
bad as those in the former Soviet bloc. For
example, they have food and shelter and a way of
living that they are comfortable in, or at least
not so desperately unhappy or uncomfortable that
they'll take any escape....more Jul 27,
2017 05:44AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
They are considered Barrayaran Vor, and would be
received as visiting foreign VIPs (or dependents of
same.)
(Well, someone like Benin might see them as equivalent
to live grenades, but that's a different
consideration.)
Miles's genes being formally taken up by the Star
Creche doesn't make him socially or politically haut
(nor would he consent to such a conscription); they
would not be used entire, after all, just taken under
close consideration.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I have no idea what is going on with SoftWear. I
believe Steve Salaba is still active in the fan
community in the Chicago (?) area, but he may not be
doing dealer's room vending stuff anymore. Anyone who
knows more is welcome to answer.
In general (though not always) my books start and grow
with interest in a character, not some sweep of
events.
Ethan of Athos is an exception of sorts, since
it began with the question, "What else can I do with
this SFnal technology?" but even it didn't begin to
roll out until the main character presented
himself.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
have no such plans for Miles, but young Churchill was
one of several threads of inspiration that went into
creating him, so your instincts are correct. (Not one
of the major threads, but there in the snarl
somewhere.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldNo
UK publisher chose to offer for it. I can't sell books
to publishers who don't want them. What they were
thinking, I have no idea, and it is likely too late to
ask.
Happily, I now have direct e-publication of all my
works in the UK, which has been holding steady and even
slowly growing from its inception in 2011, as more
readers discover e-books.
Note that when discussing my UK non-career, we are
talking about four different publishers over time. Two
of the lines, Pan and Earthlight, were discontinued
while I was in them, rather like having one's horse
shot out from under one, so it wasn't just me
affected.
To be fair, the first mistake was mine back in the late
80s, when my (actually Baen's, at that point)
then-foreign-rights agent took the VK series from
Headline to Pan after book #4 for the sake of a higher
advance. We should have stuck with Headline... maybe.
It was all downhill from there. Too late, live and
learn, etc.
Lois McMaster
BujoldIf
you like a scoop of romance in your fantasy, try The
Sharing Knife tetralogy. Just four books,
self-contained, so pretty self-limiting
obsession-wise.
The Spirit Ring is just one book, so even safer.
Quasi-historical Italy with magic.
Lois McMaster
BujoldEr,
most of them? Could mention Cotillion, The Unknown
Ajax, The Toll-Gate, Friday's Child, The Reluctant
Widow, The Foundling, The Convenient Marriage...
really, the list goes on.
Federico
BergsteinYou react
to news about sexism or other backward cultural
practices with an exasperated cry of
"Barrayarans!"You react to news about sexism or
other backward cultural practices with an
exasperated cry of "Barrayarans!"...more Aug 16,
2017 05:03AM
Setanya
KoltovskyBarrayaran!
Aha, this is what I am! Beats self-sabotaging,
male chauvinist paradox. Aug 27,
2017 07:06PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
They are all out as e-books in the UK, of course. You
could have them in seconds by downloading, say, the
free Kindle app onto the very screen you are reading
from now. Not sure what iTunes offers in that
direction.
A paper volume would depend on a British paper-books
publisher making an offer for them, which seems very
unlikely. Even British publishers (may) have woken up
enough to want e-rights with their package, which I am
not foolish enough to part with. The chances of anyone
in the UK wishing to do paper-only like Subterranean
Press seem remote.
Note that even SubPress doesn't get books into US
stores, apart from a few specialty shops. Their
business model doesn't attempt to cope with the book
returns system (which is a whole 'nother essay.)
(At present, my own eyes are doing better with reading
off a screen than from paper print, for whatever
reason. The ability to enlarge type is a boon. Holding
the device comfortably in one's lap or hands is another
issue, which I'm presently managing with a board/tray
that is padded underneath for my laptop and a small
triangular foam cushion to prop my tablet.)
SusanI got one
of those triangular cushions for Christmas. It
has little 'trays' on which to balance the
ereader, and can be angled differently depending
oI got one of those
triangular cushions for Christmas. It has little
'trays' on which to balance the ereader, and can
be angled differently depending on which surface
you use as the 'bottom'. I have found it very
handy!...more Feb 21,
2020 12:27AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyI thought
I preferred paper books, and was resistant to
e-books. But my wife gave me a Kindle for
Christmas 2011 (at which time I was 57 years
old), aI thought I preferred paper books,
and was resistant to e-books. But my wife gave me
a Kindle for Christmas 2011 (at which time I was
57 years old), and I was surprised to find I
liked it. I've rebought most of my favourite
books in Kindle form, and now I very rarely buy a
book on paper. Apart from the Kindle itself, I
sometimes read using the Kindle program on my
computer, which offers a bigger screen and a
search facility....more Jun 16,
2020 02:48AM ·
flag
TriciaCongratulations
indeed! Your characters, and ideas, your elegant
writing style and intelligent humor are the best!
No one deserves this award more.
(ICongratulations indeed! Your
characters, and ideas, your elegant writing style
and intelligent humor are the best! No one
deserves this award more.
(I reread your books, all of them, on a regular
basis.)...more Aug 20,
2017 08:35AM
ScottJust saw
this (Aug, Sept, and Oct. of `17 have been
particularly busy) and know that it's a well past
it's sell by date but I had to chime. A more
desJust saw this (Aug, Sept,
and Oct. of `17 have been particularly busy) and
know that it's a well past it's sell by date but
I had to chime. A more deserving author & series
could not have been chosen. Congrats and thanks
for all of the hours of wonder and fun!...more Oct 12,
2017 02:18PM
Melinda
SchmidbauerOkay, now
I remember why her name seemed so familiar, when
I had never seen her in anything! I was thinking
of BEL THORNE! Sep 28,
2017 03:02PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Since "Penric's Fox" follows "Penric and the Shaman" in
internal chronology, and the series is still pretty
short, I decided to give it its proper tag and renumber
the following novellas.
Lois McMaster
BujoldAt
a random mention, I found a cheap 3-season set of an
old anime called Slayers, which is very much
early-90s. D&D style comedy-drama, clearly aimed at
younger watchers. It's not doing much for me so far,
but it's something mindless to look at for a while when
my left eye stops cooperating for reading.
I don't actually want to find another gripping one just
now, as I have some other things to do for a bit. 24/7
and limited brainspace issue. A person must triage.
Ann J.M.S.
HarlanHave you
watched Death Note? If not, it's very
absorbing.Have you watched Death Note? If
not, it's very absorbing....more Aug 26,
2017 11:20AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldIt
is more likely Elizabeth came to Barrayar than Aral
went to Beta, although some diplomatic journey is
possible toward the later, quieter part of his
regency.
They would have got along all right eventually, though
both would have been stiff at first, and a stiff Aral
is a little hard for anyone not Cordelia or maybe Simon
or Alys to read.
I haven't heard anything lately about the re-releases.
You should likely ask over at Baen; they have a
Facebook page and a website.
Lois McMaster
BujoldA
lot of the latter had already been written (mostly in
the 60s and 70s, by both men and women) at the time I
wrote Ethan of Athos, and in fact Ethan
was in part a riposte to those. The fact that you'd
never heard of them may answer your question?
Ethan has done pretty well to survive 31 years
still in print/ebook and available, I think. Readers
can still find it. As a general rule, only new books
get booted up onto bestseller lists, but selling
quietly for a long time can add up, too. Word-of-mouth
has been the lifeblood of my career.
SusanEthan of
Athos is one of my favorites too. Aug 24,
2017 09:52PM ·
flag
Sheryl HillIsn't
Ethan a great character? So much great humor in
that book! Memory is my other favorite. I love
books in which people are transformed into
somethIsn't Ethan a great character? So
much great humor in that book! Memory is my other
favorite. I love books in which people are
transformed into something more by an encounter
with reality. Always looking for
recommendations......more Sep 06,
2017 09:31AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldMy
agent doesn't handle my short stories (of which I have
written very few), and the current novellas are
dedicated to my e-publication experiment. So, nothing
going on in that direction at this time.
Lois McMaster
BujoldAs
far as I know, my use of the funeral animals is
original, though animals do play parts in many
real-world faiths.
(I am suddenly put in mind of that scene in The
Rook, which I will not attempt to describe here,
where two different theories of prognostication clash
horribly. And hilariously, if one's sense of humor is
sufficiently black. Can't remember which animal species
was the one in play, alas. It might be time for a
reread, now the sequel is out.)
SeantheaussieOn
r/fantasy Rook is generally, but not universally
preferred to Stiletto. Personally Rook easily
made it on to my To Be Reread list, while
Stiletto dOn r/fantasy Rook is generally,
but not universally preferred to Stiletto.
Personally Rook easily made it on to my To Be
Reread list, while Stiletto didn't. I just loved
Myfanwy's (rhymes with Tifanny) mind in
Rook....more Sep 01,
2017 01:46PM ·
flag
Howard
BrazeeI
immediately re-read Rook, partly to see how the
clues went out. I have not re-read
Stiletto. Sep 01,
2017 05:27PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, that tale or one like it (in
the version I read, it was a gift to the king of
Norway) is often repeated in histories of that era.
Because of course. It captures the imagination in a
mere sentence or two, begging so many more
questions.
There may have been more than one madman of the era who
thought a polar bear was a great hostess gift, who
knows.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
just looked up when tasers were invented; it says 1974.
I thought it was later. In any case, my stunners owe
more to long-time SFnal weapons like Star Trek's
phasers (set to stun -- don't let your finger
fumble!)
My characters, to their credit, do sometimes worry
about hidden medical conditions in their targets. But
we might posit that my stunners work on a different and
slightly safer mode than tasers.
Lois McMaster
BujoldAfter typing out "Vorkosigan"
approximately one million times, I was determined that
my next series protagonist should have as short a name
as possible.
"Pen" vs. "Penric" is decided on the fly, according to
who is speaking, in what mode, whether I'm just
establishing things or am further along, sentence
rhythm, and how much variation or lack-of-repetition I
need in a particular passage.
(I actually made up the name "Penric", constructing it
from a syllable salad, and then discovered it is also a
real name. Not a common one, though.)
Unlike Tolkien, who apparently adored naming things,
naming is a bit of a burden for me. It is necessary to
defamiliarize names from our-world, key them to their
respective distinct languages and cultures, and try not
to inadvertently name people after obscure airplane
parts or bad words in foreign tongues. The rise of
internet searches makes checking the latter much more
possible than it used to be, but also more
necessary.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
hope so, but I can't say when. As a general rule, I
have found it better for my process (and sanity) not to
discuss works in process or possibility until the first
draft is nearly bagged. I am not, I must remind people,
a fast writer, so there's no point hanging around
underfoot in the kitchen until after I call you for the
meal.
Whenever there is actual news, I will post it on my
blog. So you won't miss anything.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
reread my own work so many times in the course of
writing it and prepping it for publication, it's pretty
well burned into my brain. I can pop back and check
anything I'm in doubt about. (This can ambush me when I
am happily wrong in some memory, and don't think to
cross-check.)
Very often, something that was a throw-away line in an
earlier work gets exploited and expanded in a later
work, giving a flattering illusion of long-laid
planning.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
only into about the second season. It is very silly,
which is sometimes just the ticket. I think my favorite
character so far is the big, blond, rather Russian
swordsman. Although I'm also rather fond of the
appalling Prince Dad.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
glad you revisited The Hallowed Hunt! Yes, that
one seems particularly prone to suffer from readers
expecting it to be some other book, and being peeved
when it does not match their expectations, instead of
mine.
I am about to start recommending readers approaching
Chalion read it first, to circumvent that
expectations-effect. Although that might just generate
the same problems in reverse order. I'd need to hear
from a few more readers who'd read tHH first in
order to form a theory.
I have heard from quite a few readers who, like you,
read it again later and had a wholly different and more
satisfactory experience. But persuading readers to read
again a book they bounced off of in the first place is
a bit of a trick.
Passive-aggressive bully-boy Ingrey was a very
interesting viewpoint character for me to write, but I
can see how his prickly surface (and interior) could be
off-putting at first. And his character-arc was not to
become a saint, like Caz or Ista, but a sacred king,
quite a different job description. But, yeah, there may
be such a thing as a writer trying to be too
subtle.
Olga
KhenkinI read
Chalion first, loved it. HH... not so much. Guess
I'm going to reread it now :)I read Chalion first, loved it.
HH... not so much. Guess I'm going to reread it
now :)...more Sep 25,
2017 04:34AM ·
flag
CathyPut my
vote for "I loved all the WotFG books on first
read, especially Hallowed Hunt."Put my vote for "I loved all the
WotFG books on first read, especially Hallowed
Hunt."...more Sep 25,
2017 06:20AM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Spoiler question for Penric's Fox. Why
didn't the fox faint or pass out for some hours like
Penric did when Desdemona came to him? And as the fellows
planning to steal Desdemona assumed would happen to one
of them? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldWe
don't know. Possibilities include, Animals Are
Different, the fox got a brief spurt to escape (foxes
can sprint really fast) before passing out in some
shadowy place her pursuer missed in the dusk (that
would be my pick), or the god stuck His thumb in
somewhere.
Lois McMaster
BujoldAnswer is, All Of The Above. Some
were extrapolations of current tech, some were twists
on (or arguments with) common SFnal furniture, taking
it that one question farther.
CelticIt would
be great to have some more Miles to read... if
inspiration strikes. The next generation offer
interesting possibilities.
How about some shortIt would be great to have some
more Miles to read... if inspiration strikes. The
next generation offer interesting
possibilities.
How about some shorter Miles stories, on the
Penric model? Perhaps ...Miles and Simon swapping
war stories after dinner - Simon still remembers
some interesting details of Miles' career - when
they're interrupted by one of the (grown up)
children who needs advice about a problem they've
gotten into... they're now old enough to hear
about some of the worse problems their father
survived; we get to listen in?...more Oct 01,
2017 04:20AM ·
flag
SteveOh, thank
you. I missed your review. Sep 24,
2017 03:28PM ·
flag
SteveJust
finished it this week. Turner is very good at
keeping me reading late at night. And she always
has a nice twist on the point of view, giving us
cJust finished it this week.
Turner is very good at keeping me reading late at
night. And she always has a nice twist on the
point of view, giving us characters who see
themselves as Eugenides's enemy yet are forced to
work with him in some fashion....more Oct 17,
2017 05:45PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
mainly wanted to have some fun playing with a really
powerful sorcerer character. Once I decided to set him
in the Chalion universe, a lot of the parameters and
limits came factory-default. Then the game became to
see what all I, and he, could do to explore them. We'd
seen sorcerers before in the 5GU, but never from their
own points of view.
Of course, once characters are set up and initially
launched, they have a way of riding off down their own
roads, the more so as they have time and space to
develop. This takes us both to unexpected places, which
is rather the point of such a journey.
The ala carte novella structure of Penric's tales is
meant to give me the maximum choice of routes.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
largest pay-through to the author are the
indie-published e-books. Kindle/Nook/iTunes give the
author 65% - 70% of what the customer actually pays.
Another important factor is that these are
vendors not publishers, on which more below.
E-books published through a publisher are next,
although losing between half and three-fourths of the
proceeds along the way depending on one's contractual
royalty rate. (In return for services rendered,
variously valuable or essential.)
Next would be publisher hardcovers, which usually come
out at about 10% - 15% of the cover price to the
author.
Next would be mass-market paperbacks, normally between
6% to 10% of the cover price to the author, although
I've heard some abusive publishers (including Romance
and academic) may chew it down as low as 2%.
The other two elements that have to be factored in to
calculate actual income-to-the-writer are, What is the
cover price? and How many copies can be sold?
Another factor is authorial control. Publishers of any
sort require contracts and rights licensing which,
depending on the terms, can remove the author's control
of the book for anything from some set number of years
(OK) to term-of-copyright (or as I call it, unto the
heat-death of the universe.) This latter is best
avoided, although again, a particular author with a
particular title and particular other terms may decide
it's worthwhile to them. In the era of
paper-books-only, one could commonly get these rights
back for one's out-of-print titles for the asking, but
now that e-books are forever and most publishers are
immortal corporations, this is a lot harder to do.
The fact that the vendors listed in the first paragraph
are not publishers is huge for authorial control. They
don't own/license any exclusive rights in one's book.
The author puts works up or takes them down at the
author's will (and a month's notice), and sets their
own prices. There are a few pitfalls in the process, as
in any process, but on the whole, including the
all-important distribution, indie e-books win over any
other form of publication in terms of potential benefit
to the actual writer. (Or, to be fair, I should say
"actual established writer." But that's a whole 'nother
essay.)
To answer the question you actually asked, above, any
of my three vendors are effectively equal in terms of
what I get, so whatever platform is most convenient to
you is fine.
Lois McMaster
BujoldAs
an author, I have been delighted with the new internet
downloading market for audiobooks, which has blown it
wide open making room enough even for my work. (When it
was physical media only, it used to be a very
restricted market.)
I'm not a very aural-brained person, so I don't listen
to audiobooks at this time, preferring visual
print/pixels. I also lack things like a long commute,
time on a treadmill, or other dead-time that they can
fill. If I have worsening eye issues as I age, that may
shift.
Gwendolyn
PattonI started
with the Vorkosigan Saga's audiobooks with
Memory, which is still one of my dear favorites.
I remember, though, screaming at Grover to get
tI started with the
Vorkosigan Saga's audiobooks with Memory, which
is still one of my dear favorites. I remember,
though, screaming at Grover to get the names
right. I've seen so-called "audiobook reader
standard pronunciation guides", and he seemed to
stick to those...but you can't do that with
vernacular or other languages! I'm so glad you
came out with a pronunciation guide, and that
Grover found it. It made Komarr and those after,
and those he went back in time to do at the
beginning of the series, more enjoyable! ;)
We met briefly at Windycon so many years ago it's
embarrassing, but I was dreadfully glad I got the
opportunity. Stay well, and enjoy life -- you've
done so well!...more Nov 16,
2017 08:07AM
SusanI have a
couple Terry Pratchett audiobooks, but have only
listened to one, on a car trip. The trip there
only got us halfway through, so we had to
lisI have a couple Terry
Pratchett audiobooks, but have only listened to
one, on a car trip. The trip there only got us
halfway through, so we had to listen to the rest
a week later. Kind of spoiled it for me, but at
least I got my husband to listen to a Pratchett!
I once listened to a loaned audio book at home -
had to sit at the computer playing solitaire
while I listened, to avoid being bored or falling
asleep! Besides, I can read a paper book in much
less time than it takes to listen to an
audiobook. Even on commutes or air travel, I
would probably rather read a 'real' book than try
to listen to one....more Nov 16,
2017 07:21PM
Lois McMaster
BujoldNope, such a thing is not for me.
In the old days, impending running-out-of-money was
enough to keep me focused, if sometimes frantic.
Nowadays the pressures are internal, mainly a work
demanding its own completion.
I get stuck regularly, and shoving through is not
usually a good idea. It just results in me trying to
write Wrong Things, which my backbrain perfectly well
knows are wrong or the vision-spigot would not have
shut down so firmly.
Although "keeping at it" is required, the process is
oblique. Sometimes it means backing off for a bit till
the well refills, especially if I have just written out
the last spate and have to stop and take stock. Other
times it means I need to do some more research of some
sort, import the key idea or notion that unlocks the
present puzzle. Talking out the plot snag with certain
friends also sometimes helps, if not directly, stirring
things up, brainstorming, what Pat Wrede calls "plot
noodling".
I am a sort of mini-burst writer, with the bursts
being, generally, one scene long. The vision of the
scene comes up in my head -- one scene being all it can
hold at a time -- and I marshal it up for the march by
making a quick draft in penciled notes to nail the
spine and structure and good bits, choreograph the
dialogue, and so on. If I am interrupted after this
point, I won't lose it. I sometimes wait a few hours or
a day to let anything else slot in or shift. Take the
notes to the computer and get it down, lather, rinse,
repeat. I generally need to know what just came before
the scene under construction (which is easy because
I've already written it) and what comes after, so it
will be aimed in the right direction and come out in
the right place for the transition to the Next Bit.
Lois McMaster
BujoldAssorted demonic or spirit
possessions, possessed objects, shared bodies, multiple
personality scenarios, etc. etc. are a staple of
fantasy (and, with some jiggling, SF as well.) So that
one could have come from anywhere.
Softness4am.
Windy outside. Woke up from bad dreams about
demons dying out at sea. I think my mind turned
the wind into their howls. :( Oct 21,
2017 03:17AM
Lori S.The
Raggedy Ann doll is a real thing - if you believe
in such things. She's the inspiration for the
horror movie 'Annabelle', but you can go see the
dThe Raggedy Ann doll is a
real thing - if you believe in such things. She's
the inspiration for the horror movie 'Annabelle',
but you can go see the doll for yourself at
http://www.warrens.net/Annabelle.html....more Oct 27,
2017 08:05AM
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
should say, more precisely, that the self-e-publishing
part has grown frighteningly fast. Writing still takes
(me) as much time as ever.
I did finally make the shift, a few years back, to not
printing out chapters as I went, instead working
paperless just with e-files. (My paper consumption has
dropped from cartons to next to nothing.) I find I do a
lot more micro-editing this way, although I'm not sure
that makes a discernible difference on the readers'
end. But the editing-as-I-go, at the sentence level and
scene by scene, has also grown in importance, as there
is less time at the end to second-guess everything.
Lois McMaster
BujoldIdealized, I suppose. Most
F&SF readers demand their main characters be smart,
and I have a low tolerance for the "stupid
misunderstanding" romance plot as a way to keep the
principals apart for whatever the length of the story.
(Certain comedies excepted.*) There are lots more
interesting problems that can be evoked to keep people
apart as needed.
Those who spurn romance stories because the outcome
seems set are mistaking what the plots are about, I
think. The question a romance plot must pose, and
answer (showing one's work!) is not "Do these two
people get together?" but rather "Can I trust you?"
Which is most certainly not a trivial problem, in art
or in life.
Ta, L.
* I am now thinking of Georgette Heyer's Friday's
Child, where nearly all the main characters are
young idiots, and the reader's hilarity and suspense
comes from watching the ensuing train-wreck. But while
the characters are over-the-top feckless, the book
itself is very smart.
CatBookMomHope it
was a very good day, with good food and drink,
time with people you love. I'm re-reading
**Captain Vorpatril's Alliance** and savoring the
intHope it was a very good day, with
good food and drink, time with people you love.
I'm re-reading **Captain Vorpatril's Alliance**
and savoring the intersection of Regency Romance
and "Ocean's Eleven" sort of heist farce....more Nov 03,
2017 04:50PM ·
flag
FreyjaHappy
belated birthday! Nov 07,
2017 07:24AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
That will be up to some print publishing company to
decide. They know where to find my agent... There are
enough for two reasonable 3-novella collections, now,
in proper order. But note that SubPress's period of
exclusive license, while short, still has some time to
run before any competing edition may be published.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
believe I've heard something about that, but it is not
for me, for all the same reasons that regular
professional sharecropping is not.
Sybal
JanssenI always
liked Freddie, but like you I had to warm up to
Ivan. I didn't realize at first Ivan's precarious
political position as a very close
contendeI always liked Freddie, but like
you I had to warm up to Ivan. I didn't realize at
first Ivan's precarious political position as a
very close contender for the imperial throne. He
knew which way the wind blew from an early
age....more Dec 05,
2017 07:40AM ·
flag
Laureen
HartLike Marti
I have always been happy that Freddy got the
girl. It has been fun to watch Ivan stretch out
of his lazy bubble and test his limits. I
wasLike Marti I have always
been happy that Freddy got the girl. It has been
fun to watch Ivan stretch out of his lazy bubble
and test his limits. I was pleased he found
someone to appreciate him....more Dec 08,
2017 08:12PM ·
flag
Madeleine
Holly-RosingI talked
about your books on a panel at San Diego Comic
Con this year to a couple of hundred people.
Hopefully, that sent some sales your way.
:) Nov 13,
2017 08:59AM
SuelibevgTrue that
your online presence is most welcomed and
appreciated. I like Penric. His attitude at times
reminds me of Miles, though that might be the
inTrue that your online
presence is most welcomed and appreciated. I like
Penric. His attitude at times reminds me of
Miles, though that might be the influence of Des,
Miles as a chaos demon makes me smile....more Nov 13,
2017 05:09PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Heh. I have no idea how Amazon's algorithms work. Good
for me, though, because my works turn up on lots of
pages through those connections, which may well be the
only way some readers learn of them.
Walter Jon Williams is good, though; I like Steve Brust
but no idea what Ballista is; I've only read
half of one Modesitt -- inventive but PoV character
seemed to lack interiority. The rest I do not know,
because I have been buried so deep in the avalanche of
popular culture I may never be found alive.
Does anyone know how Amazon comes up with these?
I would assume some mechanized statistical buying
survey...
DlsI think
it’s the same general idea as this map—what
people who bought that book also bought or maybe
liked in reviews. But the map is more fun.
http:/I think it’s the same general idea
as this map—what people who bought that book also
bought or maybe liked in reviews. But the map is
more fun.
http://www.literature-map.com/lois+mc......more Nov 18,
2017 05:29AM ·
flag
Michawl
DolbearPity it's
a mistook. I would like to read Penric's
BallistaPity it's a mistook. I would like
to read Penric's Ballista...more Nov 18,
2017 02:09PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, Alys was not a Vorrutyer. Ivan is related to that
line through his dad.
Ivan mentions aunts somewhere -- I posit Alys has some
sisters, number unknown but plural, less possibly some
brothers, living elsewhere, not in the capital scene.
Probably with families, hence the sort of cousins one
meets maybe half-a-dozen times in one's childhood and
barely knows. Yes, I would suspect the sisters are also
well-bred and tough-minded.
Wonderful, and I see on-sale this week (Nov. 2017), so
I recommend everyone grab a copy quick as they can.
It's where I got the Lewis bolt, which of course I
could not call that.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
wasn't thinking of any particular example of the
historical type, no. There are certainly plenty of
models to choose from. Unfortunately.
SoftnessI know,
I'm random. ^^; But I like to put tree blood on
my raisin bran! Yum.I know, I'm random. ^^; But I like
to put tree blood on my raisin bran! Yum....more Nov 24,
2017 04:09PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Ah, thanks for the link. Reader response is always
fascinating in its infinite variety. "A book is like a
mirror" as someone said. (The second half of that quote
is more rude, and does not apply here, although it does
demonstrate that the sometimes-strained relationship
between writers and reviewers has not changed in
centuries.)
I had a great trip to Barcelona back in 2008, which I
remember fondly. It always boggles me a bit when my
work turns up in academic courses. I hope your students
are having good luck and a good time with their
reads!
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No relation whatsoever. The name actually started out
as Redwell, in the first draft, but I thought it
sounded too much like Redwall.
(Switzerland, however, had some utility as a historical
source.)
I confess I've never heard of Greenwell, Wisconsin.
Shane
CastleI suspect
LMB of having spent some time in the canton of
Fribourg, Switzerland, and even in the quaintly
medieval town of Gruyères. So much
cheese...I suspect LMB of having spent some
time in the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland, and
even in the quaintly medieval town of Gruyères.
So much cheese... :-)...more Nov 29,
2017 11:38PM ·
flag
Setanya
KoltovskyOh, I'm
glad to know the actual source and process, far
divergent from one who marvels at the capacity to
write even one novel.
My association wasn'tOh, I'm glad to know the actual
source and process, far divergent from one who
marvels at the capacity to write even one
novel.
My association wasn't literal - upon first
reading in "Penric's Demon," instantly my thought
train had gone from Wisconsin being known for
cheese to Green Bay and that both a bay and a
well hold water.
:) Gruyère cheese. Thanks for the picture of
Gruyères....more Dec 02,
2017 01:19PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I have neither influence, nor control, nor in most
cases even knowledge. I have no idea who is responsible
for the genre or subgenre labeling in catalogs, but if
it is individual library systems or even individual
vendors, it could be all over the map. I'd call them
all "Fantasy", myself.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
had not heard this urban (or rural) myth, no. (I've no
doubt that some people would do such a thing, were it
possible; much less sure of the chemistry involved.) In
my story, it was an extension of the ill-fate of the
rat encountered on Pen and Des's escape from the bottle
dungeon back in "Penric's Mission", and a hint that
this chaos magic could be truly dangerous if out of
control, as potentially lethal as gravity. Or even
dangerous when under control.
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I enjoy discovering the elements in your
story where your protagonists resolve issues of dual
elements. In some cases dealing with embodied spirits
and/or demons. In other cases dual elements of
personality. Was it a given that Miles would resolve the
Lord Vorkosagan/Little Admiral conflict in terms of
Vorkosagan, or was there a possibility that Miles would
have continued life as the Little Admiral? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, that decision was set at the time I wrote "The
Mountains of Mourning" in the late 80s/early 90s,
though of course Miles didn't know it yet. The story
was occasioned by a friendly debate between me and Jim
Baen, discussing whether to have the banner over the
titles read "A Miles Naismith Adventure" or "A Miles
Vorkosigan Adventure". Jim was hoping for "Naismith",
and lots of milSF tales. The novella showed him why it
had to be "Vorkosigan".
I knew then that Miles would have to go back home
someday, though I did not yet envision when or how. By
the time I finished Mirror Dance, I knew.
Lois McMaster
Bujold The Curse of Chalion was the first Chalion tale
written, optionally as a stand-alone, not that this
lasted.
No, I cannot briefly outline my thoughts that went into
its world-building, not least because it was 18 years
ago. And would be as long as the novel itself. But you
might be able to find some things in the interviews I
did around that time period, early 2000s.
It started by looking at 15th C. Spanish history, and
wondering why no one was stealing its lurid events the
way they mine the Wars of the Roses. But it didn't end
there. Lots of long-brewing thoughts about how religion
is treated in fantasy got folded in underneath.
There might also be something among the
already-answered questions in this column, if you
scroll back through. It is alas not searchable.
Bob IrwinI kept
waiting for Arde to figure out who Mile's Mom
really was.I kept waiting for Arde to figure
out who Mile's Mom really was....more Dec 05,
2017 04:28AM ·
flag
ScottYou and me
both, brother! Dec 07,
2017 01:57PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nope. "Vor" is an aristocratic prefix I made up for the
sound of it, back in the day, in echo of such things as
the German "von", French "de", Dutch "van der", and
others. I was pleased to learn later that it was also
the Russian word for "thief", which fit right in.
NateI always
assumed it was linked to the Russian 'Vor' - a
title for a privileged member of a Russian
criminal organization.I always assumed it was linked to
the Russian 'Vor' - a title for a privileged
member of a Russian criminal organization....more Dec 04,
2017 08:54AM ·
flag
deleted user Thanks
for the answer! Thought about the german 'von'
too.Thanks for the answer! Thought
about the german 'von' too....more Dec 04,
2017 11:53PM ·
flag
BrzkYes, me
too - I always assumed the "Vor" was intentional
and used in the Russian meaning of horse thief.
Good ear, Lois! I guess this is what genius
iYes, me too - I always
assumed the "Vor" was intentional and used in the
Russian meaning of horse thief. Good ear, Lois! I
guess this is what genius is....more Dec 05,
2017 03:37AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
haven't; I would have to stop and make it up. I would
start by working out the age-spreads, though, and
thinking through what I know of families with such
large age gaps.
Generally benign, occasional friction, some competition
for parental attention, but mostly distanced. Nikki is
about 12 years older than his next-oldest sibs, and
more than 20 years older than the youngest twins,
almost old enough to be their parent himself.
Marti
DolataI would
perhaps disagree about the distanced for some.
There can be a special connection between oldest
and youngest because of the almost parental
caI would perhaps disagree
about the distanced for some. There can be a
special connection between oldest and youngest
because of the almost parental caretaking one
does. I'm the oldest of six, and there is 14
years between me and my youngest sister. I have a
very different relationship with the siblings
close to me in age. In fact I was very touched
recently when my sister told me about her
difficult search for a new cassette tape player
because she still likes to occasionally listen to
a tape I made for her when she was six years old
because she missed me singing her bedtime songs
when I stopped being able to visit on the
weekends due to a college workstudy program. It
says something about me I guess, that my favorite
songs to sing were the gruesome old english
ballads I was singing at the Renaissance Faire.
One mutual favorite was Lucy Wan, about the
murder of a woman by her brother because he had
made her pregnant. I would always sing with real
gusto the line, "And oot then came the thick
heart's blood, and oot then came the thin" which
I have always imagined describes the hard spray
from the decapitated body while the heart is
pumping, and then the trickle after the heart is
stopped, which may say something unfortunate
about me. My friends I've told about this always
seem somewhat appalled at what I chose to sing to
a six year old, but I think at a time (the 70's)
when children's media was all so sweet she
appreciated getting some stuff with meat on it.
Hmm, I'll have to ask her what she thinks and
remembers next time I talk to her....more Feb 04,
2018 09:32AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, that's a good question, which would likely take
many more years and stories to answer. Any change in
her fundamental spiritual state would be very slow,
however.
JerriPenric is
such a NICE person. I really like him a lot.
Desdemona, with her dash of chaos (well, more
than a dash) adds spice to the pairing. But as
noPenric is such a NICE
person. I really like him a lot. Desdemona, with
her dash of chaos (well, more than a dash) adds
spice to the pairing. But as noted in the above
question, as they grow together Des is getting
nicer as well (and had been growing in niceness
as well as in power throughout her generations).
But as I see her, she will always have that chaos
component of her personality....more Dec 12,
2017 10:49AM
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[You keep adding characters I want to
know more about! Now there are Bosha and Tanar. Only one
quarrel with Bosha. His eyesight is way better than it
should be. I have three very capable albino sisters and
few people realize just how bad their vision is, but
there is a cost to not having melanin in the eyes. Love
him any way. More please? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, Bosha is very beguiling. (My plaint on him, while
I was writing what became "The Prisoner of Limnos", was
"Surakos Bosha is a damned scene-stealer!") He has this
crowded and lurid backstory which might be interesting
to explore in more detail, even though, broadly, we
know how it comes out. How he came to the Xarre
household and earned his place of trust might not be
such a Tale Already Told as I think.
My knowledge of albinism is necessarily constructed
from research (including a few historical and folk-tale
references; it's a trope in more than one culture.)
Nobody in my personal small circle of acquaintance to
lend those extra telling details that don't make it
into written sources, alas. In my defense, I did give
him some eye issues with the photosensitivity...
Any potential Bosha front-story, ongoing, runs into an
even greater wall of complexity than his backstory. I
have a lot of ideas about my characters' lives, but
extracting suitable novella-length tales out of them is
a trickier proposition. And, of course, anything and
everything written always spawns yet more potential
threads. (While cutting off others.)
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Long time fan of the Vorkosigan saga.
(long story but I'm just here to ask a questions about
it.) Is Gentleman Joel and the Red Queen going to be the
last book? HOw many kids does Gregor have(It mentions in
the books he had a few but no names or how many)? Does
Ivan have a child(In Gentleman Joel is mentioned him and
Tej are still together and thinking about kids)?
(hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
In order: Nothing more is planned at this time; two to
four; soon if not yet. (Although given Vorkosiverse
medical tech, children don't have to be crammed into a
few fertile years.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
short, facile answer is I Made It Up; the long one,
which would be as long as my autobiography, that it
evolved out of a lifetime of learning about,
contemplating, and reading about real-world religions.
The smattering of writing I've read from and about real
mystics across a variety of faiths gave me a sense that
they were all indeed honing in on some same thing,
whether the godhead or the 60-cycle hum of their own
biology being unclear. (Presuming the two are not the
same.) Also from reading about the social functions
historical societies carried out, and still carry out,
with and through real-world religions -- teaching,
medical aid, charity, orphanages, occasions for art,
all sorts of community self-organized self-help. I
wanted my fantasy-world religion to partake of both
these serious endeavors. (Politics, like the poor, may
always be with us.)
It also gave me a chance to argue with dualism, which
is, in my view, a mistaken construction of the world
that has done much harm through history. I wanted to
make my gods both profound and evolutionary, based on a
frame of the concept of emergent properties, which is
about as far from the rigid simplicity of dualism as
anything I've yet encountered.
And, of course, wanting to write my fantasy-world
religion this way was indeed a reaction the the facile
D&D-style constructions of religion.
David
HoustonI have to
agree. The dieities in this series WORK. While I
am an orthodox (small o) Christian, the relations
just feel right. I LOVE your 'saints', thI have to agree. The dieities in
this series WORK. While I am an orthodox (small
o) Christian, the relations just feel right. I
LOVE your 'saints', their powers and limitations,
and the gods having to work WITH and through
humanity....more Dec 29,
2017 08:45AM
SophiaI reread
the Curse of Challion and Palladin of Souls (In
fact I'm doing so now) because I find it
spiritually meaningful. It reflects my
understandingI reread the Curse of Challion and
Palladin of Souls (In fact I'm doing so now)
because I find it spiritually meaningful. It
reflects my understanding of and relationship
with my own gods in a personally meaningful and
nourishing way....more Aug 25,
2019 02:39PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The book read to Umegat in the very last of The
Curse of Chalion and of course the pilgrimage party
in the opening chapter of Paladin of Souls were
as-it-were shout-outs to The Canterbury Tales,
especially the Chalionese version of the Wife of Bath.
After that, the tale was on its own.
SheilaI have
also thought that Umegat's name was the
Chalionese version of Oh my God! But then I am
slightly twisted.I have also thought that Umegat's
name was the Chalionese version of Oh my God! But
then I am slightly twisted....more Dec 27,
2017 11:03AM ·
flag
You may also find some comments from me on the subject
in interviews done around the turn of the millennium,
around 2000 - 2007, when the books were first coming
out: http://vorkosigan.wikia.com/wiki/Auth...
Ta, L.
(It's a good idea generally to glance back through the
previously answered questions, to see if one's query
has already been addressed.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldFanac is for the fans. If you are
not intending to make this commercially available, it
is not necessary to ask. Or tell.
(Just as a point of general information, the issue of
concern is not money, which would likely be trivial,
but clarity of copyright. And the latter is only of
concern to some major media purchaser, although there
the legal concerns can become fierce and expensive.
Alas.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
Africa trip was in 1971, and the Europe one in 1965, so
both over 50 years ago. While I still remember more
about them than any of my high school classes, I don't
think I have the endurance to type them out just
now.
I do still have all the slides. No slide projector or
other method of displaying them, however. (Note to all
the techie readers about to jump in with advice, Yes, I
know they could be converted to digital. No, I'm not on
for that project just now either, thanks.)
The hitch-hiking was with my 21-year-old brother (I was
15.) 1965 was likely just on the cusp before such a
thing came to be considered too dangerous. Youth
hostels and his valiant attempt to tour Europe on $5 a
day. We did England, Scotland, and a bit of Wales.
Switzerland and north Italy were in there somewhere,
and passenger trains, a novelty to my Midwestern
experience. (My brother was a big train and model
railroad buff. To this day I still find public mass
transportation alien and daunting.) Three weeks of
this, switched to trains in France, where it wasn't so
easy to thumb it, then he dumped me with my parents in
Paris, once we'd finally found their hotel, and he went
north to Scandinavia and we went south by car to
Germany and Italy.
This was back in the days when a trip overseas was
considered a once-in-a-lifetime experience, not a
weekend jaunt. I was, of course, totally ignorant of
the histories much of what I was seeing, and no
internet to fill in, hah, but less so by the end. 1965
trip is also memorable for being where I first found
The Fellowship of the Ring, on a used-book rack
in Rome. I would say, "Left by some hippie," but
hippies weren't invented yet.
Softness'so-called
demon Des' ... what? I take offense at this.
:p'so-called demon Des' ...
what? I take offense at this. :p...more Dec 29,
2017 07:56AM ·
flag
GretchenMs.
Bujold's Author Q&A answers are objectively
the best on Goodreads.Ms. Bujold's Author Q&A
answers are objectively the best on
Goodreads....more Dec 29,
2017 08:58AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThey could well be related, but
if so the two branches of the line diverged so long ago
that spelling differences crept in. They way they do,
with immigrant populations.
VoralfredThis is
just a typo in the Bulgarian version. The
original has Vorsoisson. Worse typos are frequent
in various translations. Sep 26,
2021 12:14AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold"Vorobyev" is of course a real
Russian name. When I ran across it, I immediately
snitched it for a character. I like to fancy the clan
was absorbed into the nascent Barrayaran aristocracy
due to linguistic confusion.
KarenhuntThanks! I
just snagged for a "Behind the scenes" comment in
the vorkosigan wikiaThanks! I just snagged for a
"Behind the scenes" comment in the vorkosigan
wikia...more Jan 22,
2018 04:40AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldKomarr is relatively socially
liberal, although not as much as Beta Colony. Galen's
prejudices -- or hatreds, more precisely -- are of
Barrayar in general and Aral Vorkosigan in particular,
for which any ammunition to hand would serve.
Uterine replicators, certainly, would be common
background tech from a Komarran's point of view; it
would be like being prejudiced against, I dunno, pick
the routine medical technology of your choice. IV
drips, MRI scans, ventilators. But anything can be
hurled as an insult if the irate person is distraught
enough.
Personally, I'm now sold on buying a general-purpose
tablet computer and downloading ALL the reader apps,
usually free, to it. (Mine is brilliant for manga, it
turns out.) My helpers, besides being overrun with the
work on their plates now, say that Kobo is a minor
sales venue. If Kobo gets stronger, that opinion might
change.
EllyKobo can
read epubs so if you can get epubs in a general
store (google for example) you can load them on
Kobo, and most other ereaders, except for
KinKobo can read epubs so if
you can get epubs in a general store (google for
example) you can load them on Kobo, and most
other ereaders, except for Kindle, who has its
own format...more Feb 06,
2018 02:36AM ·
flag
ChristineI'm
another long-time reader of your books who has a
Kobo and would love to get the Penric stories on
it. I, too, have been reading them on a Kindle
aI'm another long-time reader
of your books who has a Kobo and would love to
get the Penric stories on it. I, too, have been
reading them on a Kindle app on my phone, which
is a less-than-ideal reading platform....more Feb 07,
2018 05:38AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
My books have been translated into over 20 languages,
although
not all titles in all languages. Note that this is over
the course of my whole career, so many editions will
have aged out of license and into oblivion.
First place to look, I suppose, is at the publisher
websites of the target-language countries. AST (in
Cyrillic ACT) has been my Russian publisher. Next would
be the country Amazon site, if they have one. I know
Japan, France, and Germany Amazons sometimes have my
books. After that (or through that) used-book vendors
in the language of interest.
Offhand, from memory before my morning tea, my books
have been translated to:
Spanish
French
German
Italian
Hungarian
Finnish
Estonian
Croatian
Bulgarian
Greek
Czech
Russian
Japanese
Chinese
Hebrew
Frisian
Dutch
Korean
Lithuanian
Polish
Hm, I feel I'm missing something... I may have been
counting Chinese traditional and simplified as two. We
had a recent offer in Thai, but nothing has come of it
yet.
It's interesting to contemplate which countries or
regions apparently read SF, and which don't. I know in
some of the smaller countries, like Croatia, Finland,
and the Netherlands, most people who do read the genres
do so in English, for breadth of access.
Adger
WilliamsI'm vastly
curious about the relative sizes of these
markets. (in terms of who reads SF and who
doesn't). Any chance you would be willing to
share sayI'm vastly curious about the
relative sizes of these markets. (in terms of who
reads SF and who doesn't). Any chance you would
be willing to share say orders-of-magnitude of
sales in different languages?...more Feb 05,
2018 04:33AM ·
flag
KarenhuntThere are
also:
Serbian (which is treated as separate from
Croatian)
Romanian
And indeed for Chinese one does both:
Simplifed = China
Traditional = TaiThere are also:
Serbian (which is treated as separate from
Croatian)
Romanian
And indeed for Chinese one does both:
Simplifed = China
Traditional = Taiwan
I've put the set onto the vorkosigan wikia with
links to further info and pics: http://vorkosigan.wikia.com/wiki/Tran...
Also, you can go to isfdb.org and search by
author. They're probably the best and largest
site for accuracy overall (I did a lot of the
Bujold works, it was much harder than the wikia
work was.)
Goodreads has many problems (typos and a few
mistaken covers). I keep wondering if I should
try to join them to fix it up...more Feb 05,
2018 05:36AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I likely wouldn't begin writing the Vorkosigan saga
today, so.
Although Barrayar, as such, is still a metaphor for the
20th Century, so that still stands, even as the 20th C.
is fading as fast as people can get away.
Lois Bujold@
Fred: Beyond the scope of this course.
:-) Feb 16,
2018 07:59AM ·
flag
Kalen
DelaneyAlthough I
love ALL the Vorkosiverse novels, and have reread
them all multiple times, I always get a jolt when
I reread Memory and Simon is all exciteAlthough I love ALL the
Vorkosiverse novels, and have reread them all
multiple times, I always get a jolt when I reread
Memory and Simon is all excited about a map
device and a separate notetaker device. With no
communication capabilities, so Miles had no idea
where he was and no way to contact him....more Oct 18,
2021 10:39AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The six extant Penric & Desdemona tales are ready for
two 3-novella omnibus paper volumes, if some print
publisher wants to step up to the plate; there is a
contractual wait for the stories to age out of
Subterranean Press's term of exclusive license,
however, which will be a while yet given that the last
two haven't even been printed the first time. (Still to
go are "Mira's Last Dance" and "The Prisoner of
Limnos". Given that it takes the average big publisher
a year to get a book to print press, it does seem like
some of the wait could double up with normal lead
time.)
They know where my agent lives, so.
Note that we want a publisher capable of getting books
into brick-and-mortar bookstores, otherwise there's no
point.
(My experiment with print-on-demand with The Spirit
Ring was lackluster in results, so I'm in no hurry
to repeat it.)
SusanI broke
down and bought all the Penric novellas as
e-books (Nook variety) but I would love to see
them in print, too! I also prefer 'real' books,
butI broke down and bought all the
Penric novellas as e-books (Nook variety) but I
would love to see them in print, too! I also
prefer 'real' books, but I made an exception for
Pen & Des and enjoyed them very much....more Mar 01,
2018 07:27PM
EdIs the
Spirit Ring still available as print on demand? I
loved the story and cannot find my
copy. Jun 29,
2018 06:45AM
I think you will find e-readers a useful addition to
print works. I have certainly been enjoying my devices.
My Kindle Paperwhite was good, and got me into the
game, but I do have to say my Android tablet beats it
for readability and range. (Manga is brilliant on it.)
The Paperwhite remains more portable, however. Depends
one's needs.
(The Subterranean Press limited paper edition of
"Penric's Demon" is now selling in the secondhand
market for quite insane prices, making your device look
even more of a bargain, for a while.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Alas, I don't follow actors enough to have a suggestion
for Pen. I went off to look at an internet picture
array when Ron Miller, the artist, and I were kicking
around cover ideas, but he went with landscape (or
seascape) instead, to my relief. None of the shots I
saw then were totally satisfactory. So for the casting
game y'all are on your own. I note hair color is
changeable; facial structure would be the key.
Nothing new is in progress at the moment -- it's been a
sluggish winter. All sitting around watching Great
Courses and anime, and not going outdoors. New Pen is
not impossible, especially given his flexible
story-length options, but the next idea spark has not
yet reported for duty.
CelticNone of us
are getting any younger but it sure beats the
alternative! Amongst the blessings of getting
older, a new book by a favourite author is
thatNone of us are getting any younger
but it sure beats the alternative! Amongst the
blessings of getting older, a new book by a
favourite author is that most marvelous of things
- a good friend you haven't met before - and all
the better for being unexpected. If inspiration
doesn't strike, then there are plenty of old
friends to spend some more time with. Thank you
for all of them Lois....more Feb 28,
2018 08:38AM ·
flag
Talli
RuksasOh, a day
doesn't go by that I don't spend some of with old
friends Lois made for me.Oh, a day doesn't go by that I
don't spend some of with old friends Lois made
for me....more Feb 28,
2018 09:43PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldManga and anime rather run
together for me, since my interest usually starts with
the anime and then, if it really catches my interest, I
track back to the manga to compare or continue (since
the anime versions often stop short.) Some dual faves
include Mushi-shi, Pandora Hearts, Tsubasa:
Reservoir Chronicle, and its parallel work
xxxHolic. Bleach in parts, like the
curate's egg. Saiunkoku, if I'm remembering the
spelling, was very good but broke off unfinished. The
anime of it is now hard to find. Paprika remains
my favorite feature film. There are lots of others that
I've found interesting, but not necessarily re-watch
gripping.
If you are looking for that novel-like feel, I'd
recommend Pandora Hearts, if you haven't read it
already. Excellent art, plus it has the virtue of
actually being a fully (if weirdly) finished work.
Ease-of-access is the main driver of my current
explorations -- Netflix, Crunchyroll (anime plus
e-manga), and my public library have been my main
sources to date. I don't usually buy volumes unless
I've sampled them already and can't get them any other
way, though the ease of downloading (and storing, and
reading) e-manga from Amazon is leading to more actual
trial purchases. Rightstuf.com has proved another
source for the obscure, sometimes.
I think it was informed mainly by observation of the
world around me, but in general I am a believer in
gradients of human behavior, not tidy boxes. Not that
tidy boxes aren't very popular, among those who wish
the world to be simpler than it is...
The other observation, of course, is that children
create, and certainly mold, parents, at all sorts of
levels and in all sorts of feedback loops, from the
most basic biological survival up through deep patterns
of culture. And these, too, all exist on gradients.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I've been across a few passes by car, in the Rockies
and the Alps. And I've ridden horseback. Not at the
same time, but it isn't hard to meld the two
experiences together. (And the Cascades and in New
Zealand, come to think, though the latter were later.
Travel is good for a writer/future writer...)
Lois McMaster
BujoldOh,
gosh, I wrote that book 18 years ago, so it's all
blurred in my memory. But I can say that besides Spain
(obviously) I was thinking about a whole raft of
not-necessarily-noble-born Renaissance ministers to
kings and queens who helped usher in the transition
from realms to nation-states: Walsingham, Cisneros,
Richelieu, the unfortunate David Riccio, and so on.
The Hallowed Hunt, which you may get to, draws
on a lot of material from a slightly earlier period in
Germany. Kick-off book was:
Lois McMaster
BujoldIn
and out of my brain seems to be a one-way bridge. Heavy
input blocks output, and eats time for rumination, or
even for long-term memory formation. Since modern media
now provides an effectively infinite river of input,
and I have neither infinite time nor infinite
brain-space, I do have to go on a sort of self-imposed
input diet while actively creating. Or put another way,
I start to create when what's going on inside my head
manages to be more interesting to me than all that's
coming in from outside.
Naturally, this is growing harder, as modern media gets
better and better at competing for people's attention,
and there is easier access to way more of it.
SoftnessI
blame CrunchyRoll. ^^ Mar 04,
2018 11:27AM ·
flag
LauraThis
description is familiar and relatable. My odd
catalyst factor is spite, insofar as navigating
input vs. output. If I get sufficiently spiteful
abThis description is familiar
and relatable. My odd catalyst factor is spite,
insofar as navigating input vs. output. If I get
sufficiently spiteful about something, boom.
Creativity. Otherwise it's a back-and-forth
effort with getting things written....more Mar 05,
2018 07:21AM ·
flag
LauraThough by
spite, I don't entirely mean "because I hate such
and such" so much as, aha I see what you did
there. Good show. Now, here, take my beer
andThough by spite, I don't entirely
mean "because I hate such and such" so much as,
aha I see what you did there. Good show. Now,
here, take my beer and watch this....more Mar 05,
2018 07:23AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Five gods, I hope not. I have less than zero desire to
follow in the footsteps of L. Ron Hubbard...
That said, there seems to be an interesting bifurcation
in reviews of the Five Gods stories, between readers
who are alive to the spiritual issues and take
seriously how and why they drive the characters, and
another reader-stream who seem to be completely
tone-deaf to such issues, and thus find the courses of
actions baffling, pointless, trivial, or not matching
their expectations of how a story should go and
why.
JosephI found
the religion of the Five Gods to be as valid a
metaphor for the unknowable divine as any "real"
religion. I think it speaks to the
essentialsI found the religion of the Five
Gods to be as valid a metaphor for the unknowable
divine as any "real" religion. I think it speaks
to the essentials that any form of spirituality
must, and I can fully understand the view of the
commenter from NZ above. With so many religions
in the world, it is clear that many people are
just looking for some sort of handle to
understand something huge. Chalion's is as good a
handle as Joseph Smith's...
Also, for reasons my close friends will
understand, I can relate to the Bastard a lot.
Too many religions have no place for those who do
not fit nice neat rules. At least Quintarian
beliefs do....more Apr 13,
2018 01:22PM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyI've
never been at all religious, and I can't imagine
I ever will be, but the Five Gods strike me as
well-constructed and congenial fantasy. In
theirI've never been at all religious,
and I can't imagine I ever will be, but the Five
Gods strike me as well-constructed and congenial
fantasy. In their own world, they're reality;
naturally people believe in them and behave
accordingly. It all makes sense in that world,
but of course I live in this world, which is
different....more Dec 30,
2019 06:56AM ·
flag
TriciaThat's
quite a biography of your father. Wow. He sounds
like a deeply thoughtful, as well as logical
scientist.That's quite a biography of your
father. Wow. He sounds like a deeply thoughtful,
as well as logical scientist....more Mar 13,
2018 06:49AM ·
flag
AprilleighBeautiful
tribute. Your father sounds like a man I would
have liked a great deal. Apr 13,
2018 08:23PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Fun! I'm going to assume you wanted to share this with
the world, and not just me... The questions do seem to
be made anonymous, so this should be OK even if you
didn't.
Just a general note, the Goodreads messaging system is
best for private emails. (I grant it's not easy to make
work. Tips welcome in the comments section below.) But
anything one doesn't actually want publicly posted and
archived for all time in the Q&A column should go
there.
Ta, L. Whose brag-shelf is now up to four
bookcases.
Kay HawkinsGoodreads
is odd when it comes to sharing photos. I don't
mind sharing it with the world. Just wanted to
share. You re highly regarded at the Merril
CGoodreads is odd when it
comes to sharing photos. I don't mind sharing it
with the world. Just wanted to share. You re
highly regarded at the Merril Collection in
Toronto, On. and thats how I found out about you
in winter 2012. I as going through a hard time
and related to Miles in more than one way. Now
I'm better I relate to Cordelia but you are one
of the few who helped me find strength and make
me who I am right now....more Mar 09,
2018 06:44PM ·
flag
Porifors is a sort of generic melange of an assortment
of minor Spanish military castles, not including the
Alhambra. (Its region was never that rich!) Internal
design as per the needs of my plot.
(The Zange was somewhat inspired by the Alcazar of
Segovia, however. Also internally redesigned per plot.
Another fun fact: "Cazaril" is a partial anagram of the
word alcazar.)
FaranaeYay! I
can tell myself I have visited the Zangee, since
I have been to the Alcazar in Segovia. Now I want
to visit again with that in mind. ^^;; Mar 10,
2018 09:14PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't have anything new planned for the Vorkosiverse
at this time, but you are free to imagine the Athosians
having a happy ending. Or a happy continuing, rather.
(All the happier for NOT having a Plot land on them, I
suspect...)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I suspect the impact of engineers upon the world is
rather greater than that of writers, but one must
reflect who it is gets to write the accounts... :-)
Engineers are quieter, their successes found in all the
disasters that don't happen, and thus are never taken
note of.
I do wish my dad could have lived to see some of my
later successes -- he died a month after my first book
was published, at which time it was by no means clear
if this writing stuff was going to work out for me.
Carol"all the
disasters that don't happen" Great phrase."all the disasters that don't
happen" Great phrase....more Mar 11,
2018 10:35AM ·
flag
Shane
CastleOoh - a
good topic for a formal debate: “Resolved:
Engineers have a greater impact on society than
writers.”
Good teams could really have a lively timeOoh - a good topic for a formal
debate: “Resolved: Engineers have a greater
impact on society than writers.”
Good teams could really have a lively
time....more Mar 12,
2018 05:14AM ·
flag
DerekI like
it, Shane! Now that is a debate I would listen
to.
From an engineer's perspective, "engineering" is
a very broad field and arguably one's
impactI like it, Shane! Now that is a
debate I would listen to.
From an engineer's perspective, "engineering" is
a very broad field and arguably one's impact on
the world depends on the number of people
directly using or affected by your product and
the impact of that product on their lives
(reliability in car safety vs. reliability in
pocket watches, for example).
Similarly, an author's impact depends on breadth
of readership and either depth of material or
thought-provoking ideas (Twilight might be widely
read, but let's hope the impact on the people who
read it was not deep)....more Mar 13,
2018 06:21AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I actually made up the prefix "Vor" for the sound of
it, to evoke such aristocratic markers as the German
"von", the French "de", and so on. I was however very
pleased to learn later about the Russian word, as it
seemed to fit very well for a caste that started as
some sort of mounted thugs, or counter-thugs (because
that sort of thing is contagious), and looking at the
histories of warlords and feudalism in our world.
Katrine
CadyThis
little conversation is just another excellent
example of how Lois can create characters which
become so ALIVE for her readers. Thank you, Lois!
VThis little conversation is
just another excellent example of how Lois can
create characters which become so ALIVE for her
readers. Thank you, Lois! Very few authors can
give me this gift....more Apr 02,
2018 08:24PM ·
flag
ScottSo true.
So very true. Apr 02,
2018 09:38PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldRight, it's not actually that
hard. 5 kids altogether of the Count VR in that
generation.
First son and heir was Pierre's and Donna's father.
Second son was Ges, who had no legitimate or known
offspring. Third child was Aral's ill-fated first wife,
who also died without offspring. Fourth-child-third-son
was Richars's father, Fifth-child-fourth-and-youngest
son was By's father.
By has one sister, Richars has at least two sons and
possibly one or more daughters; any sisters for Richars
unknown but not impossible. Dono and Olivia will have
several children, and By's potential reproduction is
unknown. Any miscarriages or children dying very young
are not known/invented, though the former is probable
and the latter possible especially in the earlier
generations, adding gaps to spacing between
siblings.
(The name is pronounced vor-RUT-yr, by the way. And the
planet is barra-YAR.)
SmurphsDamn. And
I've been pronouncing it vor-ROOT-yr all these
years!Damn. And I've been pronouncing it
vor-ROOT-yr all these years!...more Mar 29,
2018 10:02AM ·
flag
Christopher
WinterSo Aral
was married to Ges's sister? That certainly puts
his relationship to Ges in a new (to me) strange
light.So Aral was married to Ges's
sister? That certainly puts his relationship to
Ges in a new (to me) strange light....more Mar 31,
2018 02:47PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'm glad you enjoyed the tetralogy! The Sharing
Knife tends to get less love than my other series,
and I have several hypotheses but no certainty as to
why, except that those who do like it, like it a lot.
Bless them. The target audience (if there were such a
thing, and not just me throwing stories into the air to
land where they will) seems to have a thinner overlap
with my other audiences, I guess.
All I can say is what I say about similar inquiries for
all of my books: I have nothing planned at this
time.
Softness...in the
before time... Apr 04,
2018 06:35PM ·
flag
Andrew Van
NessInteresting!
Thanks for the reply. I am currently re-listening
to Falling Free. Such a great book! Thanks
again! Apr 05,
2018 01:15PM ·
flag
KarlVulcans
were the only "humans" in the Star Trek universe.
The global warming problem demonstrates that
humans cannot rationally cope with
technology.Vulcans were the only "humans" in
the Star Trek universe. The global warming
problem demonstrates that humans cannot
rationally cope with technology....more Apr 08,
2018 01:05PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Heh. Many are the possibilities. We've seen what can
happen when a human-sized demon is forced to jump to a
smaller mammal; one could extrapolate from there.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
pretty much know by gut feel when the events of a novel
have come to the right conclusion on the scene-by-scene
level -- although for Cryoburn I added the
codicil/drabbles after some comments from test readers,
to keep folks from galloping off in all directions with
sequel speculation. There follows a revision pass, when
I have collected and collated comments from test
readers and editors, on either the finished first draft
or chapter by chapter, depending, and respond to them
as seems right. On the sentence and word level, I tweak
till the thing leaves my hands for publication, and on
the typo and polishing level, for decades after, as
opportunity permits.
So, not much like painting, no.
(Although very much like sand painting in a
windstorm.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldNope, I've never written out the
rank minutia. Viz costuming, you are also on your own,
though I could note that I have not inflicted the
necktie upon Barrayaran men.
What Vor ladies wear will depend upon era, age, income,
and venue or function, so there's quite a lot of free
play, there.
I could add, the Russian fans were doing quite a lot of
Vorkosiverse costuming at one time -- there might be
something online for inspiration, or at such fan art
refuges as Deviant Art. Check around. Other commenters
might chime in below.
ChristineThe link
worked, thank you. Requested to join. I'd tried
Vorkosigan Saga and got no hits.The link worked, thank you.
Requested to join. I'd tried Vorkosigan Saga and
got no hits....more Apr 23,
2018 05:41AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Alas, no. My high school French was half a century ago,
and has gone down the same drain of time as my high
school body. I can recognize the others on a page, but
cannot read them. (I can recognize Hangul (Korean
alphabet) now, too, go me. Thank you Great
Courses.)
LarkinTanya K -
good catch. Tim - if you want to know more about
the original researchers' intent, the original
article is here:
http://rsos.royalsocietypubTanya K - good catch. Tim - if you
want to know more about the original researchers'
intent, the original article is here:
http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.or...
(open source! nice)....more May 04,
2018 06:25AM
TimOops.
That'll teach me to read more carefully.Oops. That'll teach me to read
more carefully....more May 10,
2018 10:20AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
About as scientific as trying to boil a egg in its
shell in a microwave, I expect. I mean, we don't need
future-science for this.
Or, for more immediately pertinent parallels, I suppose
the autopsy reports from submarine disasters would give
some useful insights. All the space disaster autopsies
we possess so far are from ground-based or atmospheric
incidents.
Biology and medicine. They are real sciences,
people...
(My closest speculative examination of the subject is
probably the short story "Aftermaths", found at the end
of Shards of Honor.)
SarahAnd thank
goodness all of the "space" disasters have been
ground-based or atmospheric incidents so
far.And thank goodness all of the
"space" disasters have been ground-based or
atmospheric incidents so far....more May 12,
2018 07:46AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, I presume. I'd written the opening of what you see
back in late 2011, early 2012, but it stalled out and
other projects took over. It was never intended to be
novel length, though I'd thought it was going to be a
longer novella than it finally proved. Rather like that
description of the length of someone's legs: "long
enough to reach the ground." In this case, long enough
to reach the end.
JennaI heard
you read part of an early draft of this at a
BayCon and was so thrilled to read the completed
work. Loved it. Thank you and more, please,
moreI heard you read part of an early
draft of this at a BayCon and was so thrilled to
read the completed work. Loved it. Thank you and
more, please, more!...more May 21,
2018 04:58AM ·
flag
Peter
TillmanWhere was
this published? Assuming it was. May 22,
2018 09:26PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldIt's been too long since I read
it, and it is conflated by now with the movie, so I
really can't say. (Also, I read Harry Potter and the
Philosoper's Stone, but that's because I snuck it
in from Canada.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldOn
the spectrum of retirement, I am choosing my own
adventure, which is a lot slower than most people think
of as adventure. To the greatest degree possible, it
consists of avoiding the things about an author's
career that I found most wearing -- book tours, for
instance, or speaking or teaching engagements, or most
cons, or in general anything that involves getting on
an airplane. Or deadlines. Or contracts for anything
that is not all the way finished at least in first
draft. (Some parts are not sluffable ever -- keeping
business and tax records, ferex.)
It also consists of reading or watching whatever the
heck I want, and not ditto what I don't want. Less
self-improvement -- I figure it's all downhill from
here anyway -- and more brain candy. Because when
someone my age or older says, "Life is short," they
kinda mean it. Personally, I blame my mitochondria --
see
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... (Granted,
the recent anime binge has more to do with new
accessibility and the dratted epiretinal
membrane/macular pucker issues.)
The indie self-publishing experiment, so far quite
successful, suits this plan well. Shortest possible
route from story in my brain --> text --> most
succinct possible technical transmission --> text
--> story in reader's brain.
Ta, L.
(Many people, when they gas about retirement, say "I
want to travel and write a book!" Um...
EdHow did I
miss that this was published? Huzzah, a new
novella for the weekend. Jun 01,
2018 05:48AM ·
flag
StephenI know a
few people who did that for a while with Terry
Pratchett's last Discworld book. They wanted to
know there was still one out there not
read.I know a few people who did that
for a while with Terry Pratchett's last Discworld
book. They wanted to know there was still one out
there not read....more Jun 03,
2018 04:58AM ·
flag
For the record, "Weatherman" was an out-take from
The Vor Game, the novel was not a continuation
or expansion of the novella. At the time, the
Analog sale was a chance to turn little more
cash on the work, very much needed.
But no, I have no plans for a continuation.
Really, the story should be complete in itself; I'd be
very interested in reader response from someone for
whom it is their first Bujold, or at least their first
Vorkosigan. I think it should stand alone just fine,
but I admit I haven't had a chance to test that. "But
they'll get a different read!" is not a useful
complaint, as everyone always gets a different
read.
(This is a reference to a line of Cordelia's
memory-musings in Gentleman Jole and the Red
Queen, for those wondering.)
Really, I shouldn't wonder if it's SOP for all Survey
personnel to store gametes, before going off on their
dangerous voyages. Because Beta, and their families,
certainly wouldn't want to lose those high-grade gene
lines.
Lois McMaster
BujoldSmashwords apparently has
Business Level Issues, that incline my agent to shy
away from it. So, no, not at this time.
Meanwhile, I should remind people that Baen.com still
offers a number of my e-titles, in assorted formats;
folks who care about such things might want to look
there. (Not the recent novellas, granted.)
(It often puzzles me why people who have downloaded a
story and can presumably thus read it on the spot would
wish to convert it, rather than storing it as-is, but
that's another religious debate. Having been party to
cleaning up the estates of a couple of persons by now,
and observing a few more, I will note that nobody is
going to want your books after you die, so that
reason rather falls down.)
Katrina"I
will note that nobody is going to want your books
after you die"
I think I have never read a more depressing
sentence. Of course, I live in a house"I will note that nobody is going
to want your books after you die"
I think I have never read a more depressing
sentence. Of course, I live in a house that was
purchased with the specific idea of being able to
house all our books, so I know I'm an outlier,
but the thought of unwanted books... :-(...more Nov 08,
2021 07:20AM
Jonathan
PalfreyI am
going to want to reread my e-books before I die,
so I want to assure myself that I’ll be able to
do so. That requires converting the e-books to
aI am going to want to reread
my e-books before I die, so I want to assure
myself that I’ll be able to do so. That requires
converting the e-books to an open format....more Mar 01,
2025 04:57AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
You do not provide links or descriptions how to find
either of the things you reference. Try again?
If, at a wild guess, you are trying to compare "The
Flowers of Vashnoi" and Proto Zoa, they could
not be more different. The first is my most recent
Vorkosigan series novella, and the second is a
collection of my very earliest short stories from the
1980s.
I don't see the covers as anything alike, although if
one were comparing them on a small black-and-white
screen, maybe one might make that mistake?
This
question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[When I first read *The Hallowed Hunt*
years ago, I wrote you that I didn't like it as well as
the first two "Five Gods" novels. Now after re-reading
all three, plus gaining more understanding of spirit
animals from Penric, I am happy to say I was totally
wrong. I did not dig under the surface like I should
have. Maybe I am older and smarter now? Great book. And
now I understand why you used the POV you did. (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Thanks for giving The Hallowed Hunt a second
chance! A startling number of readers have reported the
same first read/second read effect you describe. I'm
still trying to figure out why.
My current theory is that series readers were
nonplussed by finding it was not a continuation of the
first two books, and spent their first read mad at it
for their thwarted expectations. Once they calmed down
and were willing to take it was it was, their reads
improved.
Or it might be that they really did grow older and
smarter, who knows? Readers who shared this experience
are welcome to chime in below and share it some
more.
Drew PerronI
read the first three in order and Hallowed Hunt
was my favorite. But I've been hopping around all
the books you've written, so didn't really have
exI read the first three in
order and Hallowed Hunt was my favorite. But I've
been hopping around all the books you've written,
so didn't really have expectations of focus on
one series or another?...more May 26,
2018 10:43PM ·
flag
JessI didn't
have to restart The Hallowed Hunt, but I did take
a substantial break after reading about a fifth
of the book. If I had to put my finger on
wI didn't have to restart The
Hallowed Hunt, but I did take a substantial break
after reading about a fifth of the book. If I had
to put my finger on why, I believe it was because
it was such a sudden departure from the previous
two novels. I don't mean that it wasn't a
continuation of those stories; rather, I mean
that it dealt with a very new concept in a world
in which I already felt grounded, and it was
jarring. The book also starts a bit like a
gunshot, so I had very little time to adapt to
this new concept, and so it just sort of lost me.
I came back to it, and I'm glad I did because it
was a great story....more May 27,
2018 09:29PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Personally, I am indifferent to DRM, as both writer and
reader -- I think it's utterly useless for stopping
piracy, and it certainly doesn't impede me from reading
anything I buy (*) -- but some of the people I work
with are not. So DRM it is, for now.
Ta, L.
(* -- Meaning that I read legal copies on legal apps,
not that I break it myself; yet another tech learning
curve that I have no desire to scramble up.)
SusanI got it
on my Nook (Barnes & Noble), but I guess those
are proprietary, too. However there is a free
Nook app that you could put on your tablet or
whI got it on my Nook (Barnes
& Noble), but I guess those are proprietary, too.
However there is a free Nook app that you could
put on your tablet or whatever. There's probably
a Kindle app as well - I don't do Kindle, so
don't know....more Jul 30,
2020 09:43PM ·
flag
Mickey MaorOr I could
easily buy it from Amazon and strip the DRM
protection from it, I don't buy books with DRM
protection.Or I could easily buy it from
Amazon and strip the DRM protection from it, I
don't buy books with DRM protection....more Jul 31,
2020 07:44AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, no plays or scripts from me. It's a different
medium from novels and short stories, etc., so I'd have
to retrain, which I am presently too lazy to do. More
cogently, to achieve any kind of performance and reach
an audience, it requires working together with people
in groups.
A mainstream novel I read once had the memorable line,
discussing the pleasures of life, "It takes two to make
love, but eating you can do alone." I would add writing
fiction to that list.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Oh, yes, in any large enough group there is a
sprinkling of anything. Some readers quite dislike
Miles, too, or Barrayar in general. (Why they keep
reading the books in that case puzzles me, but, oh
well, readers.) Although I must say your friend sounds
as though she likes Cordelia quite well enough for
going on with.
One thing some people seem to miss is that in her first
two books, we see Cordelia from the inside, all her
doubts on display, and in all but the last of the later
books, we see her from the outside, in brief fragments.
That changed angle of view, and the information it
does/does not take in, makes a huge difference in
perception. (I play with this a bit in GJ&RQ.)
Information bias and viewpoint control are a valuable
tools in the writer's toolkit, especially for
characterization but also for plot and
worldbuilding.
SteveA lot
depends on the mood you bring to a book and what
you are looking for when you read it. I consider
*Mirror Dance* to be one of Lois's 3-4 BEST
boA lot depends on the mood
you bring to a book and what you are looking for
when you read it. I consider *Mirror Dance* to be
one of Lois's 3-4 BEST books but certainly not
one of her most FUN books. And several times I
have thought of one of her books as a "lesser"
novel in her catalog; but when I re-read it years
later, I discovered that I was just in a "lesser
mood" when I read it the first time....more Jun 05,
2018 09:00AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyOffhand, I
can't think of any fictional hero/heroine whom I
actively dislike. Dislikeable protagonists must
exist in fiction, but I seem to avoid themOffhand, I can't think of any
fictional hero/heroine whom I actively dislike.
Dislikeable protagonists must exist in fiction,
but I seem to avoid them quite successfully. I've
said before that Miles Vorkosigan isn't one of my
favourite fictional characters, but I like him
well enough; and he makes his way through some
excellent books....more Jul 02,
2022 11:50PM ·
flag
Steve
BerlinerPeter
Dinklage FTW! Not even a question. Jun 04,
2018 11:15AM ·
flag
Angela
PenrosePeter
Dinklage is a great actor, but IMO he's too old
to play Miles well. That's not necessarily an
insurmountable barrier -- Alan Rickman was old
enoPeter Dinklage is a great actor,
but IMO he's too old to play Miles well. That's
not necessarily an insurmountable barrier -- Alan
Rickman was old enough to be Severus Snape's
father when he played the part -- but considering
how young Miles is when his main series starts, I
think an actor in their late 20s at most would be
better.
And everyone knows Dinklage now. Give another LP
actor a shot at a great role....more Jun 06,
2018 01:55PM ·
flag
Lou RocamaI
recommend posting a query in the group "What's
the Name of That Book?".I recommend posting a query in the
group "What's the Name of That Book?"....more Jun 02,
2018 12:38PM ·
flag
P.Thank
you. I joined and posted the question. Jun 02,
2018 03:14PM ·
flag
In recent years (and from the beginning as well), the
work itself demands its own completion. Not, alas, on
anything resembling a regular schedule. I've described
half a novel as like half a bridge, useless until
complete from shore to shore.
There is usually also some significant emotional reward
for getting the work out there and read, and getting
reader feedback. It is, after all, Attention, with luck
more positive than negative.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not per se, but it's an interesting conundrum.
Approximately ten million tales from the points of view
of teens, almost none from their parents (the Enemy,
usually, in coming-of-age tales, as is older authority
generally.) Mothers, parents, and domesticity are
perceived by many readers to be the antithesis of
exciting stories.
Don Sakers had some musings on the topic, if this link
still works:
AmeliaThese days
I really notice the bias toward teen points of
view in fantasy. It makes me feel like middle age
(not to mention old age) is practically unThese days I really notice the
bias toward teen points of view in fantasy. It
makes me feel like middle age (not to mention old
age) is practically uncharted territory....more Jun 10,
2018 11:15AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
You should have something on Goodreads called your
"Author Dashboard", most likely accessible from your
Profile page, or from that drop-down menu from the
circle on the far upper right. Start there and explore
its tips. It has a link called "Author Tutorial" right
on it.
I no longer remember how I first found/founded my own
Author Dashboard, so perhaps a poster with a better
memory could chime in below with more directing
advce?
Alex
ShruggedWhenever I
want to bring my spirits up, I'll read one or two
of the Vorkosigan series. Last weekend I read
Shards of Honor and Barrayar. Even though
IWhenever I want to bring my
spirits up, I'll read one or two of the
Vorkosigan series. Last weekend I read Shards of
Honor and Barrayar. Even though I already know
how they will end, I enjoy the journey....more Jun 05,
2018 08:17AM ·
flag
CarolIf it
amuses you, definitely continue your routine. We
need all the laughs we can get. Jun 05,
2018 09:05AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I can, but the route there is long and roundabout, and
involves more Cedonian politics and time than I want to
deal with right now. (Actually many potential routes,
which doesn't make it easier.) Maybe someday. No
promises.
And then there's Bosha's entire angsty backstory, which
could be a novel in its own right, but a weird one.
Also with a problem or six about a satisfactory ending.
But yes, Surakos Bosha is certainly one of those
characters who unexpectedly leap off the page.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Ekaterin is already mature when the story opens; no YA
heroine, she. So she has much less "character
development" to do at age 35 than Miles had at 20. The
experience will inform and enlarge her abilities as
Lady Vorkosigan, going forward. Because Countess is a
job description as well as a title.
Lori S.Sadly,
Mr. Yelchin is no longer with us - he died not
long after the second Star Trek
movie... Jun 06,
2018 12:22PM ·
flag
Adger
WilliamsThis
question strikes me as the most likely of all the
unlikely reasons to write another novel in the
Vorkosigan world Aug 15,
2020 05:54AM ·
flag
ScottAs a
modern American male, I do thank you for pointing
out the lack of that piece of historical fashion
victim trash that we have somehow confused
forAs a modern American male, I do
thank you for pointing out the lack of that piece
of historical fashion victim trash that we have
somehow confused for necessary. Ties are an
abomination created to hide out of fashion
buttons and deserve no quarter! I thank you from
the bottom of my neck....more Jun 14,
2018 11:37AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I had not seen this, but the practices it discusses are
by no means unusual, especially across history. (And
prehistory, though that's harder to suss out.) Look up
the infanticide practices of the Romans and Greeks, if
you want something closer to home. I don't know if
anyone has done work on the practices of the Teutonic
tribes, but I'd expect something similar, or in any
culture that is periodically or routinely thrust to the
edge of survival.
Selective infanticide is the historical norm.
Saving such children is new, and largely a
consequence of advances in technology and the economy.
(As a rule of thumb, people tend to embrace the
moralities they can afford.)
AndersThis is a
bit random and off-topic, but it reminds me of
the British TV show Call the Midwife (based on a
book, I believe, it's set in the 50s),
whereThis is a bit random and
off-topic, but it reminds me of the British TV
show Call the Midwife (based on a book, I
believe, it's set in the 50s), where an elderly
nun horrifies the younger midwives by telling
them how common infaticide and similar used to
be, finally musing: "Are they more valued now
because they can survive or do they survive
because they are more valued?”
This also made me read an entire article about
medieval burials at Västerhus cemetery in Sweden,
which was quite fascinating....more Jun 07,
2018 02:22PM ·
flag
Alex
ShruggedIn the
Bible, Baby Moses was saved by placing him in a
basket and floated down the Nile. Why did he need
saving? Because all Hebrew male newborns
wereIn the Bible, Baby Moses was saved
by placing him in a basket and floated down the
Nile. Why did he need saving? Because all Hebrew
male newborns were being murdered by order of the
Pharaoh. As I recall my reading, Plato
recommended killing deformed infants by leaving
them out in the open and letting them die of
exposure or predators....more Jun 11,
2018 06:28AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThis question is a bit too broad
to answer, but briefly, All Of The Above covers it.
Like found art, the stories tend to be pieced together
like a montage from all sorts of magpie bits and bobs,
fleshed out as I go. Including, of course, experiences
from all periods of my life. (Pieces of my childhood
are (among) my life experiences, natch. They
aren't really something separate.)
Which bits in my bag get picked out for
inclusion at any given time is driven by the underlying
needs of the story. So the process is far from
random.
(My nonfiction collection Sidelines: Talks and
Essays includes more on some of the stories'
specific origins, scattered about.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
am glad my work helped nourish you when you needed it.
(And I'm always especially pleased to hear a good word
for The Sharing Knife tetralogy.)
I've never had a library named in my honor, but it
would be cool. Though I once had a name plaque on a
chair in a library auditorium, that some fans rustled
up for me when the library was canvassing. I suppose I
can always hope for an asteroid. I did have an
experimental rescue robot named after me once, years
ago, which was a treat.
TylerI can't
say I've read it 20 times, but I know I have at
least 4 times. I can really related with what
Rothlauren C. is saying. There's a new depth
toI can't say I've read it 20
times, but I know I have at least 4 times. I can
really related with what Rothlauren C. is saying.
There's a new depth to it each time i've read it.
Meant something proudly different to me after I
re-read after my first child was born. As much as
I love the Vor Series, Pound-for-Pound I think
it's your best series Lois! P.S. I'd be very
happy to donate to the creation of that
Library!...more Jul 03,
2018 06:34PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Glad you are enjoying the book! I do think surly Ingrey
grows on one, if given a chance.
Really, only the name and a loose connection with
animal practices and sacrifices is brought over from
our-world sources. Almost everything else about
5-gods-world shamanism is made up for the purposes of,
and to be consistent with, the world-building of the
story.
Sybal
JanssenPersonally,
I think the addition of The Bastard to the
pantheon of the five gods is sheer genius for so
many reasons. It was such a delight when
someoPersonally, I think the addition
of The Bastard to the pantheon of the five gods
is sheer genius for so many reasons. It was such
a delight when someone somewhere pointed out "the
thumb touches the other four fingers."...more Jun 21,
2018 07:00AM ·
flag
Shane
CastleYou can
get the other four to touch each other but it
takes a little doing, and maybe a cramp :-) .
What the thumb excels at, though, is the ability
tYou can get the other four
to touch each other but it takes a little doing,
and maybe a cramp :-) . What the thumb excels at,
though, is the ability to touch each of the
others one by one, easily. Not to mention the
grip....more Jun 22,
2018 03:29AM ·
flag
Amusingly, quite a few readers over the years, some
admittedly speaking other languages, have not
recognized "Lois" as a feminine name, so I got some of
that marketing gender confusion for free anyway.
Although whenever I am put to signing a large stack of
books, I often regret not going with "Lois McMaster",
which would have cut the time folks had to spend in
signing lines by a third.
JerriI
selfishly like having the "Bujold" in there,
since it makes a wonderful search term in a
computer database. Lots of "Lois's" out there,
and I am notI selfishly like having the
"Bujold" in there, since it makes a wonderful
search term in a computer database. Lots of
"Lois's" out there, and I am not sure how many
"McMaster's", but there is so much room for error
in computer databases and memories, is is Mac or
Mc, etc. But "Bujold" is easy to remember and
spell and pops out results with few false drops.
And if checking in alphabetical order, there
aren't many other terms starting with buj out
there....more Jun 24,
2018 04:37PM
CarroI
remember seeing a documentary on Terry Pratchett
- and the staff at a particular book store where
he did signings every year starting right with
hisI remember seeing a documentary on
Terry Pratchett - and the staff at a particular
book store where he did signings every year
starting right with his first couple of books -
the staff commented how his signature changed
down the years getting simpler and simpler - as
the queues got longer....more Jun 28,
2018 04:29AM
Howard
Brazee"Lois" is
nice and short. I can see pen names designed to
be short and sharp, not just for signing fatigue,
but to stand out on book covers."Lois" is nice and short. I can
see pen names designed to be short and sharp, not
just for signing fatigue, but to stand out on
book covers....more Jun 28,
2018 06:41AM
Lois McMaster
BujoldMiddles are hard; many writers
bog in them. I can offer you a quote from one of my
characters: "Nothing worth doing is fun all the time.
But it's still worth doing all the time."
Your last question is much too broad to answer here,
but I cover some in my nonfiction collection
Sidelines: Talks and Essays. Also in assorted
interviews over the years, http://vorkosigan.wikia.com/wiki/Auth...
Comments on specific books tend to cluster around their
original pub dates and attendant PR pushes.
(If what you are really trying to ask is, "Where can
I get the inspirations for my books?",
the main answers are: life experience (including work
and family relationships, friends, getting people to
talk to you and tell you their personal anecdotes, in
other words lots of listening) tons of reading
including history and nonfiction, travel and other
direct non-reading information flows such as museums,
courses, live stage plays as well as the normal flood
of TV and movies, and, again, life experience.
KarenhuntI'll go
ahead and fill in details: Passage, chapter 23.
Berry is saying her pa used to say that in
response to Whit being unhappy about practicing
arcI'll go ahead and fill in details:
Passage, chapter 23. Berry is saying her pa used
to say that in response to Whit being unhappy
about practicing archery after the big bandit
fight....more Jul 28,
2018 06:50AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldAha. I
knew it was somebody's Pa; Berry's makes way more
sense than Fawn's.
Ta, L.Aha. I knew it was somebody's Pa;
Berry's makes way more sense than Fawn's.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It's old American Midwestern slang for "asking for it";
behaving or speaking in a provoking way that inspires
others to attack, literally or figuratively. "Lumps"
being what you get when someone hits you.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No working link, there, but my quotes bob around all
over the internet, so I'm not surprised. Out of
context, mostly, and attributed to me even when it was
a fictional character in a fictional situation
speaking. The game of Twitter Telephone being what it
is, that may backfire weirdly someday, but so far it
seems OK.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nope. You still have Diplomatic Immunity, a bit
part in Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, major
stuff in Cryoburn, and minor roles in
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen and "The
Flowers of Vashnoi".
So, Miles to go.
Ta. L.
(There are *cough* a couple of other series as
well...)
Lois McMaster
BujoldMy
experiences with breaking in are too far out of date to
be useful in the new millennium. Anyone else wants to
chime in with suggestions, feel free to use the
comments section below.
If you check your Goodreads "Author Dashboard", which
should be accessible from the drop-down menu on the
picture cartouche on the far upper right of your own
profile page, there are an assortment of author
tutorials from GR. I've not looked at them myself, so
cannot speak to their utility.
B WarneI
have a comment that I think would help. You have
the book listed on Amazon under two different
titles? Is your book, "Antebellum Struggles: A
StoryI have a comment that I think
would help. You have the book listed on Amazon
under two different titles? Is your book,
"Antebellum Struggles: A Story of Love, Lust,
Pain & Freedom" as the paperback version says it
is and which also is how the cover shows it? Or
is it "Antebellum Struggles: Slavery, sex and
suspicion" as it is listed under the Kindle
version. Amazon may be able to keep these
straight but the rest of the world will be
confused and wonder if this is the same book or
not. A title should be the same title everywhere:
on the cover, on the title page and with each
version of the book listed everywhere. This may
not seem to relate to your question but I assure
you it is essential that the world has only one
title for your book and not be confused as to
whether one is a sequel to the other or a
different edition or just someone trying to sneak
in on the action. Second I recommend that you
join literary groups. Maybe Women's Fiction
Writers Association if your main character is a
woman and it is her emotional journey you are
focussed on. Historical novels can be a segment
of Women's Fiction. They offer a wide range of
free resources and the published authors in that
group are generally helpful to new authors
through their members only Facebook page or the
workshops they hold throughout the year, they
will be doing a pitch session with agents in the
next week or so. Also submit the book for
contests. There are now lots of contests for
self-published books. Winning one or more or even
getting honorable mentions can get the book "out
there" so people want to interview you which can
get the book noticed. Also notify the
organizations looking for books about their own
history. I just read an article by a guest
blogger and her books won awards from Latina
organizations and I find her latest one in my
library. Look into getting your book into
libraries. Give talks locally maybe at
independent bookstores if there are some where
you live and if you travel, contact independent
bookstores wherever you are going. Also offer to
talk to groups about the research you did in
writing the novel and what you learned that most
people don't know. Offer to talk to book clubs in
your area (sometimes your library has lists of
them). Join local writing groups. Get involved in
anything happening in your area that is at all
related to your subject. Write articles related
to how some current events relate to things you
studied and wrote about and then submit those
articles locally or online and ask that each
article is published with a note about your
novel. Contact bloggers who write about books or
history who might want you to write their blog
post on what you know and ask for a link to
Amazon's page at the bottom of what you write.
Give away copies to bloggers who write about
books or history. And if you have any money to
use, see about having Book Bub or one of the
other companies that notify readers of new books
with special deals. Have a website and a blog and
a newsletter to give people more information
about your book. Have a Facebook page (a Page)
about your book.
Hope some of the above give you some ideas as to
how to get information about you and your book
out into the world so that people will look for
your book, find it, buy it and maybe do a review
so that you get more people to read it. But your
book has only been out for a little more than a
month and it takes time to get the word out even
for those people who have a publisher who helps
get them interviews (often done digitally or for
podcasts by voice). Good luck....more Jul 06,
2018 08:20AM ·
flag
Terry CoxIt's
another reason to join and participate in a
writer's group, preferably with published
writers. You review their book, they review
yours.It's another reason to join and
participate in a writer's group, preferably with
published writers. You review their book, they
review yours....more May 30,
2020 06:21AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
hope so, but there is nothing new in the works at this
time.
(Much of the point of the ala carte e-novellas scheme
is to keep the series, or story-grouping, as flexible
as possible. I seem to be reinventing the old pulp
magazine system for doling out tales, without the
encumberment of the pulp magazines.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'd think they'd want his brains, but, nature,
nurture, not to mention nutrition. Replicating Miles
would be a lot harder than just copying his DNA. I
don't think the Cetagandans have any particular
motivation to gratuitously extend his life.
As far as medical aid goes, I'd think Miles would be a
lot more comfortable going to Beta Colony. We don't
actually know that he hasn't...
Anyway, I have no plans for such a tale at this
time.
Jill
Vassilakos-longIt's hard
to stop! I'm imagining Cordelia, content, her
life is good because SHE DESIGNED it to be good.
She has a guy she loves nearby, a house she
eIt's hard to stop! I'm
imagining Cordelia, content, her life is good
because SHE DESIGNED it to be good. She has a guy
she loves nearby, a house she enjoys on land she
chose in a world she helped create, children that
she has always wanted. And then there is a knock
on the door....more Sep 05,
2019 06:33PM
Katrine
CadyOh,
Jill...I like how your mind works. Maybe you
should write a fan story along those
lines? Sep 06,
2019 06:45AM
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I don't want to be a pain. But the more
of your books I'm reading, the more I'm enthused about
certain characters. I'm glad you re-introduced Bel Thorne
in Diplomatic Immunity which I've only just started,
because I loved the glimpses we got of him...
Having said that... Gregor, any chance of a novel or
story from his POV? It would be fascinating.. "Let's see
what happens, shall we?" (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Heh. Do not apologize for enthusiasm. But, alas, I can
only recite what is becoming my mantra: there is
nothing in that direction planned or in progress at
this time.
Although surely some analogous situations have cropped
up in real life by now, people with formerly uncurable
conditions which have been overtaken by advances in
medical technology.
For myself, I expect I would be ecstatic, then swiftly
readjust to my new normal normal. Any folks with RL
experiences are welcome to chime in with their own
insights.
Includes all the novellas, including the 7 recent
original-to-epub ones, the nonfiction collection
Sidelines: Talks and Essays, the old short story
collection Proto Zoa, most of my Vorkosigan Saga
backlist (republished, technically), ditto The
Spirit Ring; I may be missing something, but, short
answer, yes.
The seven fantasy novels through HarperCollins and my
recent few Baen books remain with their original
publishers.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
If you like science fiction, and are not allergic to a
touch of romance, start with Shards of Honor. If
you like fantasy, start with The Curse of
Chalion or, for a shorter taste, the novella
"Penric's Demon".
As an aside, it is better to put comments in the
Question column under a question, or over in a comments
section under a post in the main blog; this feature is
not really formatted for chat, or at least, the Q part
is not.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I've answered this one a bunch of times in a bunch of
places, now scattered to the winds of time I suppose. I
really should fix myself one of those canned-answer
files for FAQs, but so far I've been too lazy and
disorganized. Iirc the intro to Baen's 30th Anniversary
trade paperback reprint of The Warrior's
Apprentice touches on it, also the Afterword to
Young Miles.
No, I never have a clear idea how any character will
turn out. In general, I set them in motion and watch
them go, like an AI self-learning program. They will be
created by their actions as they progress. (Note that
speech, too, is an action, as is internal
dialogue.)
I don't know where folks think the contents of people's
imaginations come from, except from the world around
them. It's not an either/or proposition. Real-word
inspirations include but are not limited to young T. E.
Lawrence, young Winston Churchill, my own relationship
with my own father, a physical (but not psychological)
template in a hospital pharmacist I used to work with
long ago, Aral's and Cordelia's personalities and
situation, and doubtless other sources now forgotten at
a remove of, let's see, Miles was initially created in
1984, so now almost 35 years.
The first thing I knew about Miles, before his name or
anything else, was that he would be born to Aral and
Cordelia physically handicapped in some way, but very
bright, on mutie-hostile Barrayar. This was about
halfway through the writing of Shards of Honor.
At that point, he was little more than a glowing blob
in my mind, or in Cordelia for that matter, but he got
better.
One might also note that the original first draft of
Shards of Honor actually went up through the
soltoxin attack, but not including the start of the war
of the Pretendership. So up to the end of Chapter 9 or
thereabouts, don't remember exactly where I broke off.
I then cut backward to the present ending. When I went
to start Barrayar a number of years later, I
wrote a new Chapter One for the needed transition, laid
in the 8 chapters I had in hand, retyping and editing
them, and went on from there. So for a while, I knew a
lot more detail about Miles's early start than the
readers did.
Miles is not so much an outsider as a liminal figure,
really, existing on the borderlines of so many things,
able to see, and be pulled, in multiple directions.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Ivan gets his honorific not from being heir to Count
Falco, but for being great-grandson of Prince Xav, and
in a Certain Unstated Relationship to the camp stool.
Barrayaran titles don't have as many quirky exceptions,
which must be learned one by one and vary with context,
to their already ad hoc rules as, say, the English
language does, but there is a definite tendency in that
direction.
AriSomehow I
missed your reply until just now. Thanks for the
answer - and yes, was almost as good as your
writing ;) Haven't seen it since, though.
MaySomehow I missed your reply
until just now. Thanks for the answer - and yes,
was almost as good as your writing ;) Haven't
seen it since, though. May have to look....more Jul 31,
2019 11:16AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
For myself, since 8th grade; though there was a long
hiatus in my twenties. For what eventually became
professional publication, since 1982.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Hm, some of these process questions are answered
earlier in the Q&A column -- you might try
scrolling back -- or in my interviews. I would say my
series are pretty ad hoc, building one book at a time
which always changes or channels the possibilities for
what follows. Within a book, I will have only a vague
idea where it's going; writing starts when the
preliminary notes, averaging about 50 pages, and
whatever research reading I've done, somehow make the
opening scene/s rise up in my mind. I capture the
thoughts in penciled notes, then type them, shifting
the scene-block out of my mind to make room for the
next wodge, and repeat the process. So my planning is
diffuse, not done all-at-once.
But I am not seat-of-my-pants as it is usually
understood; I need to have each scene I'm working on
blocked out in notes, sequence of events mostly nailed,
dialogue roughly scripted, and choreography roughly
designed, before I sit at the keyboard. But only one
scene at a time, with a glimmer of what's next. Details
are filled in, sequences modified, items added or
tossed, etc. editing as I type.
KirshyYes, I
went back through some of your old interviews
after I posted the question to see what you had
said about it, but this was very helpful. Thank
yYes, I went back through
some of your old interviews after I posted the
question to see what you had said about it, but
this was very helpful. Thank you so much for
taking the time to respond. Just finished
Winterfair Gifts. I'm taking a break from the
Vorkosigans for a bit to read The Sharing Knife.
So happy I found you!...more Jul 25,
2018 07:03AM ·
flag
ChristianeMemory
didn't stand out as a favorite in the series
(Warrior's Apprentice and Cryoburn win) but I'm
going through it again with my husband and
frequenMemory didn't stand out as a
favorite in the series (Warrior's Apprentice and
Cryoburn win) but I'm going through it again with
my husband and frequently remark how much I
appreciate this book and the writing. I've
decided I need to expose my hubby to Ethan of
Athos and A Civil Campaign, as well, and will
likely re-read the entire series on my own. Thank
you!...more May 31,
2021 05:05PM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[In Shards of Honor, what was the role of
the chief surgeon as the second agent in Emperor Ezar’s
plan? Surely not just to corroborate Aral’s opportunistic
explanation to Illyan of obtaining the Plasma Mirror
information from Cordelia under interrogation drugs too
late to help or cancel the invasion (Cordelia’s capture
could not have been foreseen). Something to do with the
Prince?
Lois McMaster
Bujold
If you think it through like Ezar... and it says
something about Cordelia that she could, it was to
assure that if the Prince were rushed injured into
surgery, he would not make it out alive.
AnnaThank you
for this explanation! Jul 23,
2018 05:48PM ·
flag
Talli
RuksasSo he was
the fifth person in the know? I've never been
sure.So he was the fifth person in the
know? I've never been sure....more Jul 24,
2018 04:18AM ·
flag
PaulThanks
for this explanation. I must not have as devious
a mind as Ezar then. Or Cordelia for that
matter... hmmm. Jul 31,
2018 03:45PM ·
flag
(I am willing to give these first two the benefit of
the doubt, but if as a result I end up with a stream of
newbie writers of completely unrelated items popping up
here to covertly advertise themselves, I'm going to
start deleting the "questions" without response. This
sort of thing is not good Netiquette, folks -- although
I completely understand the desperation.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, it's very flattering, of
course. And a little weird. Each reader has their own
construction of everything they read, and I don't think
academics are immune from this in any way. In fact,
it's something of their stock-in-trade. They are also
writing within a genre, Academic Writing, with its own
genre conventions and agendas, with certain boxes they
are trained to tick, and which take some learning to
parse for a reader coming in from the outside. (Just as
in any other genre of writing, truth to tell.)
Arguing with same bears for the writer the same hazards
as attempting to argue with any other review. One of
the (fortunately) early lessons in professional
etiquette I was offered from an older writer back in
the 80s, and which seems only more pertinent now, is
never to respond to reviews except, perhaps, for an
occasional thank-you if someone says something
especially nice. It's much harder to stick by this wise
rule in these days when reviews and comments come not
from a tiny handful of edited print columns, but dumped
out by the virtual truckload. And from a much
wider range of sources.
I was given the chance to read this book in manuscript,
by the way, and offer corrections (iirc I tried to
limit myself to those of biographical or
bibliographical fact) which was a nice courtesy to
receive.
SteveI felt
like this one was a bit less "academically"
written than many of these survey books. I got
enough new insights from it to think about going
bacI felt like this one was a bit
less "academically" written than many of these
survey books. I got enough new insights from it
to think about going back to re-read (or
re-re-read) some of your books with a different
awareness....more Jul 31,
2018 07:44AM ·
flag
Kevin ReitzI'm glad
to find out about this book. Does anyone know of
other criticism of LMB's work that's worth
looking at?I'm glad to find out about this
book. Does anyone know of other criticism of
LMB's work that's worth looking at?...more Aug 04,
2018 03:42PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
2002 Saturn sedan. It has 50,000 miles on it, 'cause,
y'know, I don't commute... If it'll go for another 50k,
it should take me up to 2034.
Someone had actually told me that some time back (along
with sending me the pix of my books in the library in
Antarctica), but it's fun to see the whole list.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I've answered my-process questions in a lot of places,
including (somewhere) in this Q&A file, so you
might find more detail if you hunt a bit. "Stumbling"
happens all the time, I suppose, but I do a lot of it
before starting to type out first drafts, in my
notes-and-outlines phase, which also get constantly
redeveloped as I go. The worst part of a book or story
for me is not the beginning, but the middle. Middles
are the pits. So I suppose I manage bit by bit,
breaking down the process to chewable bites.
Separate from the actual writing is all the business
stuff -- contracts, deadlines, promotional duties --
which can add stress depending. Which is why one of the
conditions of my current semi-retirement is to neither
contract nor announce new work, if any, till the first
draft is bagged. (It's normal business practice not to
publicly discuss any contract or other negotiations
till they're over. Since many of us writers are sort of
raised by wolves, business etiquette, too, can take
some learning.)
Pat Wrede had a good post recently on the topic --
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't think you are right, but perhaps you are not
thinking over a wide enough array of my characters.
Other commenters might find this an interesting enough
question to chime in with their takes below. Miles and
Ivan? Claire and Silver? Barr and Remo? Cordelia and
Alys? Penric, Inglis, and Oswyl? None would seem to
fall into the range of what I take you to be thinking.
(I'm not actually sure just what, or who, you're
thinking about, here, actually. For one thing almost no
one who talks about power ever stops to define the
term, always dangerous in a debate.)
A lot of the stories do include characters who have to
step up to larger responsibilities than had fallen to
their lots heretofore. That's usually called "character
development", though.
David
Samuels@Margaret
Yup, that's him!@Margaret Yup, that's him!...more Aug 09,
2018 08:10AM ·
flag
Bob IrwinYes, you do
talk a lot about government and family structure
in Mile's world, but you do so much more.Yes, you do talk a lot about
government and family structure in Mile's world,
but you do so much more....more Aug 14,
2018 07:51AM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Dear Lois, I really enjoy getting to
read all your reviews, answers to questions, and other
posts here on Goodreads! Thank you. I just read The
Flowers of Vashnoi and am curious - were the characters
and plot centered around the radioactive zone at all
influenced by the 3-11 Fukushima reactor meltdown
incident in Japan (as it still continues to pan out, and
the various effects are being felt/researched/etc)?
(hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I first came up with Vashnoi in 1984, when I was
writing The Warrior's Apprentice, so it predates
not only Fukushima but also Chernobyl. (But not, of
course Hiroshima and Nagasaki.) It was built in broad
outline back then, including the idea that there would
be people occupying it extra-legally, and other people
whose jobs it would be to chase them out. The recent
story was further informed by information about
Chernobyl -- I particularly rec the PBS show from a few
years back with the irresistible title of "Radioactive
Wolves".
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
don't have any plans at this time for visiting the deep
backstory of that world. Other things, well, never say
never, but I have nothing to report at this time. The
malices were a kind of magical-scientific accident,
possibly during some pursuit of powering up mage-craft
and pursuing immortality; they partake of something
human crossed with something nonhuman. They do seem to
have something insectoid in their makeup, but it may
also include theft of aspects from the now-absent gods.
(If there ever were gods.) Howsoever the individual
elements that went into them were healthy enough in
their original forms, the amalgam was a disaster.
KirshyThanks
for the reply L. I had a feeling it was something
like that. I also get the sense, that despite
what Dag says they will never be completely
desThanks for the reply L. I had a
feeling it was something like that. I also get
the sense, that despite what Dag says they will
never be completely destroyed. Would love to
explore the rest of the world. The lands across
the sea or in the west. Such a great
world!...more Aug 08,
2018 07:32AM ·
flag
KarenhuntI've
enjoyed creating my own backstory for those
tales.
Not sure how it could turn into a story
considering the long-term calamity it would end
with.
NI've enjoyed creating my own
backstory for those tales.
Not sure how it could turn into a story
considering the long-term calamity it would end
with.
Not going into details other than this: I figure
the gods are memories of high-level aristocrats
from the Lake Sorcerer society, not actual gods.
Does leave the question of what the extra
ingredient is in malices, though....
Another day, perhaps......more Aug 13,
2018 01:21PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
By that I'm guessing you mean the author's deliberate
intent. I don't think character growth is spontaneous;
it is usually a result of the story-so-far, which is
why the writer has bothered to put all that stuff on
the page in the first place.
Whether surrender-of-the-self-to-the-greater is right
or not will depend on the character and their
particular story (and their particular "greater", not
to mention what is meant by "surrender".) Very easily
it might be the reverse, a character recognizing that
whatever they had identified as their greater actually
wasn't, and should instead be ignored or resisted.
Miles has a descant on it somewhere, to the effect that
true destiny does not consume, but rather, returns an
enlarged self. If something consumes with no return,
one may be in unrecognized trouble.
KarenhuntThat's
from Mirror Dance, when he convinces Lily Junior
to flee the Bharaputra residence.That's from Mirror Dance, when he
convinces Lily Junior to flee the Bharaputra
residence....more Aug 13,
2018 01:23PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It sounds as if you might need a new beta reader. They
do wear out, over time; nothing lasts forever.
(Although a writer can wear them out faster by making
them read repeated revisions, something to be avoided.)
Nor is any given beta reader suitable for all works.
Also, no one will ever be as interested in your own
writing as you are (rather naturally) so expecting them
to somehow carry you goes beyond what one can
reasonably ask from a crit.
I don't know about courage, but if you want
information the resource I recommend is this:
http://www.pcwrede.com/blog/
Scattered through are a number of useful and sensible
posts on coping with critique problems, from both
sides.
Financial concerns likely need to be addressed
separately, though also sensibly -- no one in the
modern world can live without money, the more
independently obtained the better -- and are outside of
my range.
PersSomewhat
confused by the idea of 'wearing out' a
beta-reader, as if I'm a rug or a coat. I beta
read for 2 mid-list SFF authors, and I've been
thorougSomewhat confused by the idea of
'wearing out' a beta-reader, as if I'm a rug or a
coat. I beta read for 2 mid-list SFF authors, and
I've been thoroughly enjoying doing so for a
number of years (saw one author through a 5 book
series, in fact). She has written in 3 different
sub-genres of SFF so far and I've yet to get a
book from her to beta-read that I didn't enjoy
reading......more Aug 12,
2018 10:32AM ·
flag
Obviously, you are not worn out yet! This is
good, for both you and the friends you crit.
But yes, beta readers can be worn out,
sometimes@ Michele --
Obviously, you are not worn out yet! This is
good, for both you and the friends you crit.
But yes, beta readers can be worn out, sometimes
due to a mismatch with the new work, sometimes
for life reasons that have nothing to do with the
work. And, more subtly, sometimes they can be
outgrown, when the writer moves on to needing
some higher level of feedback than the original
reading partner can supply.
Astra
AstridI enjoy
beta reading, but I periodically fall into
depression and can't concentrate enough. So
there's that, as well.I enjoy beta reading, but I
periodically fall into depression and can't
concentrate enough. So there's that, as
well....more Aug 13,
2018 08:04PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI've discussed my process in a
number of places, including earlier in this column
(probably more toward the beginning, scroll back), and
in interviews and essays over the years. There's a mine
of interviews here: http://vorkosigan.wikia.com/wiki/Auth...
But briefly, setting, plot, and character form feedback
loops as I go; any of the three have served as
start-points in different books, but character tends to
be the most important for driving things forward. I use
a rolling outline, a mess of general notes followed by
scene-by-scene penciled memory aids that are halfway
between notes and rough drafts, one scene at a time as
I write. (Thinking it up and writing it down are two
different phases for me, and the notes capture the
thinking-it-up parts.) No way could I hold a whole book
in my head on Day One; the next scene is about all I
can manage, lather, rinse, repeat till done.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nope. D&D, and computer games, came along after I
was a grownup (of sorts), married, with kids and a job
and a household and a career to launch, so there was No
Time.
Given the dangerously addictive behavior computer
solitaire evokes in me, I'm more than a bit afraid to
try much else. (I had my son take it off all my
computers and hide it.) More power to y'all,
though.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Ivar is new to me, but you have to figure, every
medical condition that exists now existed in the past,
if with different names and explanations. (Except the
ones that used to kill at birth or early on.)
Thankfully many old killers have been rendered more
rare by sanitation, immunizations, sterile technique
(ferex tetanus used to take out a lot of infants from
dirty cuts of the umbilical cord) and better
understanding of nutrition. Grant you, osteogenesis
imperfecta isn't one of those "easy" fixes.
NateIf we're
being technical, plenty of infectious organisms,
parasites, and viral infections that exist now
would be new to anyone from a thousand
yearsIf we're being technical, plenty
of infectious organisms, parasites, and viral
infections that exist now would be new to anyone
from a thousand years ago and vice versa. Other
diseases that come from exposure to modern
environmental factors or that are related to
extreme age would also have been very unlikely
that long ago....more Aug 19,
2018 11:14AM ·
flag
MirWeird, I
was taught in school that Ivar was so nicknamed
for a much cruder reason. Aug 21,
2018 09:23AM ·
flag
StephenSykes
adds: "His head, however, would have been of
normal size and his mental functions not impaired
in the least. The mystique of a fully mature
mindSykes adds: "His head, however,
would have been of normal size and his mental
functions not impaired in the least. The mystique
of a fully mature mind in the broken body of a
child is very powerful. I am not surprised that,
even with this great physical disability, which
would have prevented him from any combat himself,
he was able to command an army by his legendary
wisdom and force of personality alone. He was
carried into battle on a shield.""...more Aug 26,
2018 05:48AM ·
flag
I'm not much of a listener, but I've found my reading
app on my tablet computer turns every book (well, every
e-book) into a larger-print book, which has been a
boon, lately.
John
CampbellMaybe it's
the fact that I stare at a computer screen most
of the day, but I really enjoy sitting on my
front porch in the evening, listening to an
exMaybe it's the fact that I
stare at a computer screen most of the day, but I
really enjoy sitting on my front porch in the
evening, listening to an excellent narrator's
performance of a great book.
Per my previous comment, James Marsters reading
of Harry Dresden, or Stephen Fry's obviously
loving performance of Sherlock Holmes (similar to
Grover reading Vorkosigan) are as hard to turn
off, as it has always been for me to put down a
really good book....more Aug 20,
2018 12:20PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Good question, which I would probably need a book to
stop and work out. Although Inglis, if not a saint,
certainly earned his god's attention at the end of
"Penric and the Shaman". He also had a cameo in The
Hallowed Hunt.
But yes, there should be saints of the son; His turf
being comradeship, the hunt, autumn harvest, there
should be room to speculate.
"Guardian of young males" tends to be a pretty
thankless task, but someone's got to do it. Five gods
know they need it. Also a good question where, aside
from biological fatherhood, the two gods would have
their hand-off of allegiance.
No, the lovely Catherine Asaro ably represented me at
the Hugos this year. She has entrusted UPS with the
trophy, which should show up here next week. I'll make
a blog post when it does, if I can remember how to
kludge around Goodreads' very annoying images
limit.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'm going to stick with "World of the Five Gods" for
story covers and ad copy, myself, but the fans may
devise what they please. It was being abbreviated 5GU,
for Five Gods Universe, a while back, which might serve
for those with tired texting thumbs.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I last read Leinster in, probably, grade school, so my
memory of his work is compost by now. I have a dim
association with some sort of space medical drama, if
I'm not munging him with his contemporary Alan Nourse.
Or James White, tho' the tales I read by him are more
distinct, even at this remove.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't remember, but I expect the book is widely
available through Project Gutenberg, not to mention
public libraries, so I expect you could find the
reference with a short search.
(My books are available on iTunes, Nook, Amazon Kimdle,
the paper stores of the latter two, a few
brick-and-mortar stores, and many public libraries. In
most cases, one has to spell correctly to get a
hit...)
rivkaLois,
sometimes new users of this site are under the
misapprehension that it has all the books on it
free to read (rather than as a way to
review/discLois, sometimes new users of this
site are under the misapprehension that it has
all the books on it free to read (rather than as
a way to review/discuss/etc.)...more Sep 20,
2018 09:09PM ·
flag
Lois BujoldAha.
That's a possibility. Otherwise it's a deeply
incomprehensible Q.
Ta, L.Aha. That's a possibility.
Otherwise it's a deeply incomprehensible Q.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Blurbs are solicited at all three levels. I have in the
past, when my books were in the production stage, had
my editors ask me for a list of likely candidates to
send pre-publication copies to for remarks. It is up to
the editors to decide which of the ones they then get
back to put on covers. I don't think anyone ever
suggests what to say to the blurber, but since space on
a cover is tight, it's common to select just the most
useful-looking phrases from whatever has been
offered.
My indie ebooks don't require blurbs on their "covers",
though we recycle old ones onto the vendor pages where
appropriate, or new ones taken from professional
reviews. (Which are another source: Publisher's Weekly,
YALSA, and Booklist are all names-to-be-recognized,
especially by purchasing librarians.)
Anne McCaffrey's nice blurb came through Baen, with
whom she had a close working relationship. (It may have
been on the back of a postcard she'd mailed from her
Mediterranean vacation, but I don't remember for sure.)
Peg Kerr was in a writer's group with me at the time,
so I'd already read the book in manuscript, making that
one easy.
I decline requests for blurbs all the time these days,
rather shamefacedly as I benefited from them in the
past, but I have eye issues that curtail my reading
time. So I'm rationing it for either, first, work on my
computer, or second, whatever is left goes to things
I've chosen, usually on my tablet. Enlargeable fonts,
yay!
It is in the back rooms of my mind that Ingrey and
Ijada are ancestors of Inglis, though. And Oswin an
ancestor of Oswyl. The two stories are about
half-a-dozen generations apart.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, rule is that to be nominated a series has to have
a new work published in the award year.
Not that it matters. Although The Sharing Knife
has its own cadre of loyal readers, it doesn't seem to
have been as widely popular with the Worldcon crowd as
my other two series.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
That is what this Q&A column is for. But keep in
mind it is a public space, so questions should be of
general interest, not contain anything personal you
don't want the world to read, and brief.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Hm. In general, I lay no claim to being a futurist,
although it's always fun to be right twice a day. I'm
not sure what you mean by "you would love to go after
if you were younger" -- as a writer? As a student? As a
patient? (This week, I want a noninvasive cure for
macular pucker, if I get a pick.)
For anyone interested in prognostication, I'd say keep
an eye on biology. Where any pop sci books published
more than five years ago are now out of date, as are
some that were published one year ago. Or last week.
The explosion in biology itself, of course, stems
heavily from the explosion in computing and
communication. Progress is happening all over in a 3D
or maybe 4D web, not in a line, which makes any linear
extrapolation, the favorite of many (but not me),
almost bound to be incorrect.
This seems like a good topic to throw open to the
comments section.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
To answer in order, I have begun to believe writing
fiction is actually a high-level dissociative disorder.
Besides that, certainly the material for a story
comes from everything the writer has ever done, read,
watched, or experienced. What forms that material gets
shaped into will depend on the writers' internal
psychological needs, or interests, and what material
they have encountered. (Starting, at the most
fundamental level, with what language/s they speak, and
what forms of story their culture presents them
with.)
I suspect imagination begins almost as early as
consciousness and memory -- what children have not
played "Let's pretend!"? -- but certainly I was making
up scraps of story by grade school, and writing them
down by junior high. My writing that was good enough,
and original enough, to make the grade of professional
publication began in my early 30s, after I had acquired
more learning and life experience to draw upon.
More (than you wanted to know) may be found in my
nonfiction collection Sidelines: Talks and
Essays, or in the interviews section on the
Vorkosigan wiki, http://vorkosigan.wikia.com/wiki/Auth...
I direct all aspiring writers over to Patricia C.
Wrede's blog, http://www.pcwrede.com/blog/
, for one of the more sensible writing-advice sources
on the internet (go back to the beginning, read it
all), or for the compact version her book Wrede on
Writing.
Heather
AbellaThank you
Lois McMaster Bujold for responding
And its nice to interview you in a short period
of time
Anyways, thank you so much again😊 Sep 01,
2018 08:53AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldOkay! I see I am confronted this
morning with five nearly identical sets of questions to
the most recent answered, all apparently from the same
high school class, and therefore an assignment. My
friend who writes YA gets tons of these, and they are a
great burden on the target author -- teachers should be
made aware that it is unfair to make a kid's grade
hinge on this, and teachers really shouldn't do it to
any writer from whom they have not first asked and
received permission. But one can't blow off kids,
so.
I will treat them as one unit, and only answer
non-duplicating questions. Classmates, if you click my
Q&A column into "newest first" order, at the button
on the upper right, you should be able to see them all
grouped, albeit in reverse order than I answered
them.
First of all, many of these questions have been
answered previously in this very column, at greater
length. If you scroll down to the beginning and read
up, you will find them. More is available free online
(this being what it is, free online seems the way to
go) at the Vorkosigan wiki, http://vorkosigan.wikia.com/wiki/Auth...
Not to mention my Wikipedia entry, and those of my
books and characters. (I find it a source of great
amusement to reflect that my imaginary friends
have their own Wikipedia entries...
But, of course, I gather that the purpose of the
assignment is not "learn this material", but rather,
"practice writing a letter". (And possibly in a 2nd
language, which deserves respect.) So.
Breaking out questions in order received:
"Can you recommend any new or upcoming authors to
us?"
I'm very fond of Megan Whalen Turner's series starting
with The Thief. That would keep you going for
five books right there. I can also rec the works of
Patricia C. Wrede -- her The Enchanted Forest
Chronicles are very popular. Neither of these are
exactly new, as I don't keep up with even my own genre.
Now that I'm blogging on Goodreads, which makes it
easy, I've taken to dropping short reviews of whatever
I happen to have read, which you can find here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Naturally, they are not filtered for children, since I
am 68. Lots of manga lately, in part due to improved
access, in part due to my eye issues.
"What keeps you motivated during creative slumps?"
Formerly, running out of money. Half a story is about
as economically useful as half a bridge. These days, as
well as formerly, a story demands its own completion.
Think of an unfinished story as like an imaginary
splinter in the mind, which cannot heal till the thing
is out.
"How did you come up with the idea for your book?"
Oh, dear, such an assignment question. Don't
worry, I don't blame you. But it is not answerable
unless you specify which of my 30 or so works you are
asking about. Conveniently, your classmate has already
asked it in a more general way: answer here.
https://www.goodreads.com/questions/1...
An additional note to pass on to teachers generally: if
you are doing this, and have one or a few target
authors, get the kids who are targeting the chosen
author together in groups to collate their questions
and send them as one letter, not six or sixteen
near-duplicates. Alternately, some teachers do the
collating themselves as a class exercise. (This also
has the privacy advantage that the return address can
be to the school, when this is done on paper or even
email, not all the kids' homes or home e-addys.) My
YA-writing friends are pathetically grateful to
teachers who think to do their assignments this
way.
(And Angelley, good luck on your reading and
writing!)
"And for most of your stories, Do you see yourself as
the main character?"
No, my stories are not written as self-inserts. Most of
them explore very different lives than my own. That
said, all my characters, major and minor, hero
or villain, have to come in some sense out of my own
mind, experience, and knowledge. Until I have
internalized a character to some degree, I cannot know
what they will say when they open their mouth to speak,
let alone what they will do or how they will react in a
given situation.
I've also described this as stepping into a character's
skin/body/mind and wrapping it around me, but it's
their skin, not mine.
Best of luck to you in your reading and writing...
Ta, L.
(Wow, whichever kid has the bad luck to be last in the
queue is going to get short shrift. Must try to even it
up somehow...)
"First... Do you view writing as a spiritual
practice?"
Ah, there's a different question, very good. No, not as
such, but writing by its nature entails enormous
amounts of self-reflection and self-awareness, if
sometimes in a rather dissociative way. It also depends
on how one defines "spiritual", and whether it is to be
sought outside the self or within the self, or
both.
"What period of your life you started writing most
often?"
Answered in part here:
https://www.goodreads.com/questions/1... But
certainly my early 30s were when I grew serious about
productivity. It wasn't just a hobby at that point.
"Third.. How did you come up with the idea? "
Duplicate question, answered in the link/s above.
"How long does it take you to write a book?"
Mine have varied from ten months to four years,
depending on pressure and interruptions.
Your last question was cut off by the character limit
of the questions box. If it is not a duplicate, you may
ask it again.
You are welcome to ask any question that your
classmates have not already asked and had answered.
(See
https://www.goodreads.com/questions/1... and
following. And previous.)
A great many questions about my early writing career
are answered earlier in this column -- scroll down --
in my interviews http://vorkosigan.wikia.com/wiki/Auth...
, in my nonfiction work Sidelines: Talks and
Essays, and in The Vorkosigan Companion.
But really, I think all imaginative creation starts in
childhood with "Let's pretend!" games, and goes on to
thinking imaginatively about fiction one has read or
watched. From there it's a very short jump to wanting
to make such creations oneself. (Fanfiction is
frequently a normal first step, depending on the models
one has encountered.)
"What or who are your inpirations?"
Really this goes back to modeling, referenced above. A
huge amount of human learning happens through modeling,
copying the thing done by another whether the thing is
how to throw a volleyball or how to write a story.
Short answer would be "All the fiction I have read and
liked." Specifics are answered elsewhere as per
references. (Do I need to say, copy does not mean
plagiarize -- it means making one's very own thing
after the mode demonstrated.)
"How do you feel while writing your stories ?"
Since stories can take up to years to compete, quite a
few things. I'm always most excited to be either
beginning or ending a piece; the middles are always a
slog.
"What books you can recomend on us?"
Answered elsewhere in this batch, and in this
column.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, it is contracted to SubPress and in the production
pipeline. I believe it's scheduled for sometime next
summer. (It's not up on their site for preorder yet.)
When I get a firm date, I will post it to my blog.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
"what inspires" question was asked and answered
generally elsewhere in this batch from your classmates.
The not-quite-facetious answer is that I think writing
fiction is a dissociative disorder; the more economic,
my need for a job I could blend with care of my two
preschool children in the middle of the recession of
1982 in a small town in Ohio. After that, there was a
reward feedback loop -- people like this thing,
do more.
What I want to say to the people who read my stories
are the stories themselves. Anything else, including
all PR (publicity -- like this blog, for example), is,
as one of my characters quips somewhere, persiflage,
camouflage, or just plain flage. It's why I prefer,
when I'm forced to write anything, to write Afterwords
not introductions. Some writers want to be famous. I
want not to get in the way of the stories.
That said, a minimum amount of fame is required to sell
anything; people at least have to be able to remember
and spell a writer's name in order to find their books.
(For the record, again, Bujold is my surname and B is
the letter my books should be shelved under. The
McMaster is my maiden name that I use as my middle
name. No hyphens.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, I haven't written about it, so you haven't missed
anything. Among the unsettled but likely possibilities
are that appointments automatically end with an
emperor's death, requiring the new sitting emperor to
re-up the appointment or allowing him to clean the
slate and start over with his own choices, or some mix
of both. Interregnums or more than one person being
declared emperor by assorted factions opens yet more
possibilities for hijinks.
ScottNot to
mention that the Emperor's Voice hadn't been
invented yet when all the details of said ugly
transitions took place and were covered "in
story".Not to mention that the Emperor's
Voice hadn't been invented yet when all the
details of said ugly transitions took place and
were covered "in story". ;-)
BTW, kudos for so smoothly covering such a huge
addendum to Barrayar's culture. I've loved the
job for Miles as soon as I read the
description....more Sep 13,
2018 09:17AM ·
flag
Adger
WilliamsI have a
vague recollection of one of the oldest Auditors
being called a hangover from a past Emperor
somewhere. Is that likely to be a correct
memoryI have a vague recollection of one
of the oldest Auditors being called a hangover
from a past Emperor somewhere. Is that likely to
be a correct memory....more Sep 17,
2018 04:37AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyAdger:
From fairly early in the story of “Memory”:
“One of the most famous relics of Vorbarr
Sultana,” said Miles. “General Vorparadijs is the
last surAdger: From fairly early in the
story of “Memory”:
“One of the most famous relics of Vorbarr
Sultana,” said Miles. “General Vorparadijs is the
last surviving Imperial Auditor to have been
personally appointed by Emperor Ezar.”...more Sep 01,
2023 09:57AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, and not Miles. There are plenty of other senior
people in the Empire who might step up to the plate in
the less fraught times than those Ezar and Aral faced.
Laisa or Laisa-plus-small Regency Council -- Laisa,
somebody senior military, somebody senior civil
government being one of many possibilities.
ScottNah, in
case of Assassination, you want Miles free to
move in his Auditorial Capacity. The Emperor or
his Regent would rarely be able to leave the
"caNah, in case of Assassination, you
want Miles free to move in his Auditorial
Capacity. The Emperor or his Regent would rarely
be able to leave the "castle". The hyperactive
and vengeful Auditor would be very free to pursue
the culprits to their inevitable and likely
painful as well as psychologically destructive
demise....more Sep 13,
2018 09:13AM
Lou DoenchSo Ivan of
course :) Sep 19,
2022 05:56AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
So glad you've found Penric! I don't know if the notion
of a court jester or allowed fool is in circulation in
the realms around Chalion et. al. -- they don't have
knights or knighthood, after all. But if so, the job
might well have affiliation with the Bastard (though
not in Quadrene lands). The individual could have their
personal soul's allegiance to any of the gods,
depending, and their degree of religious devotion or
lack of same, too, would vary with the person.
Have no idea what this is. I'd guess it's someone
wanting to get me to do their homework, but I can't
imagine what the assignment would be, though the
deadline does suggest it. Anyone wants to have a go in
the comments section, feel free.
Ta, L.
(For the record, I never did my own kids' homework,
either. Nor, in many cases, mine.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
pretty sure I've answered this one before, a couple of
times, earlier in the Q&A column; scroll down. But
to recap, pretty much everyone who was published in
Analog Magazine in the 60s, and whatever I could
find on my libraries' shelves during that decade. Worth
particular mention are Cordwainer Smith, Poul Anderson,
Randall Garrett, Anne McCaffrey, Zenna Henderson, L.
Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, Eric Frank Russell,
Tolkien of course, early Zelazny, and Fritz Leiber.
When I started writing, I had the most help from
Patricia C. Wrede and Lillian Stewart Carl. (By that
point, reading nonfiction became more useful for
inspiring stories.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Since I have not read the book in question, I have no
idea. Might be a homage? Fanfiction? You are asking the
wrong author, really.
WilliamDefinitely
a homage, the author in question's books are full
of references to contemporary science fiction and
also popular culture.Definitely a homage, the author in
question's books are full of references to
contemporary science fiction and also popular
culture....more Sep 16,
2018 06:37PM ·
flag
Susan PriceKerry
Greenwood, an Australian writer who has a lot of
scifi culture references in her contemporary
Melbourne mystery series, clearly is also a
VorkosKerry Greenwood, an Australian
writer who has a lot of scifi culture references
in her contemporary Melbourne mystery series,
clearly is also a Vorkosigan fan (and a Sir Terry
Pratchett fan, so you're in good company!)...more Sep 17,
2018 09:33AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
While I may have run such thoughts through my mind, if
not often, I've never had the time or energy to divert
to writing anything like that out. If I can write (or
even imagine) at all, I'd rather be writing pay copy
that I can actually share.
Littering the mental roadside along the way are
doubtless the desiccated corpses of story ideas that
never gained traction and were superceded, but I don't
give them much brain room either.
MarieOh, I can
see many possiblities. Miles (or Mark!) with the
ability to see ground / do groundsetting. The
Bastard would have great fun interfering in
MOh, I can see many
possiblities. Miles (or Mark!) with the ability
to see ground / do groundsetting. The Bastard
would have great fun interfering in Mile's life
(come to think of it, perhaps the White God *has*
been interfering now and then....)...more Nov 07,
2018 08:27PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'm glad you've enjoyed my work! I have no idea what,
if anything, is next, except that it will likely appear
more slowly. I will post all publishing news of note on
my blog, of course, though by their nature subrights
and reprints dominate the stream.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It's a real Danish (iirc) man's name, meaning "day".
And it's short, making two marks in its favor. I first
saw it in the news attached to Dag Hammer...(schold,
skold, it's been a half century) who was
Secretary-General of the UN back in the 50s or 60s, who
seemed vaguely heroic to my young mind.
I'm also told, much more recently, that it's a slang
Aussie term for the clumps of soil dangling from a
sheep's hind end, so I likely won't use it again.
Sadly.
Richard
DerusThe Amish
need to learn that slang word. They call the same
sheeply trait "aarschglob." Much longer and less
euphonious...I suppose that could almostThe Amish need to learn that slang
word. They call the same sheeply trait
"aarschglob." Much longer and less euphonious...I
suppose that could almost be onomatopoeia....more Nov 23,
2018 05:44PM ·
flag
VoralfredIn Ethan
of Athos, early in the book, there is a minor
character, a farmer on Athos, also called
Dag. Oct 09,
2021 10:28PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'm rather fond of Cordelia's recent remark, "What is
love but delight in another human being?" I think it
cuts through a lot of clutter.
DaivPretty
much all of Civil Campaign. And Barrayar. And
...
I am not helpful, here. Nov 22,
2018 10:49AM ·
flag
Talli
RuksasJust today
in a fit of self-pity and after a new year's eve
bottle - damn the wine, damn the whineJust today in a fit of self-pity
and after a new year's eve bottle - damn the
wine, damn the whine...more Jan 01,
2020 03:00AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I have no idea where you could have heard of a new
Miles book coming out; it is not so. (If this is a
misconstrual about the untitled, unfinished novella I
read from at Dreamhaven last night, that was set in the
world of The Sharing Knife. No idea when or if
it will be finished, though.)
As for the rest, some of it may be a job for
Fanficwoman. But it is always heartening to hear that
my characters seem to have lives that spill over and
beyond their pages.
Shane
CastleI have to
agree with them staying potential rather than
realized. Too many good stories get ruined by too
much detail, backstory, or filling in
otherI have to agree with them staying
potential rather than realized. Too many good
stories get ruined by too much detail, backstory,
or filling in other blank spaces. And with many
of these, if you start looking too hard at the
hidden structure, things start to unravel and it
gets harder to suspend disbelief. If it's a good
story and works, stop embellishing. Too much
polishing might remove the shiny bits
completely....more Sep 30,
2018 07:46AM ·
flag
If you are asking about reading in general, the people
answering, perhaps in the comments section below, would
need to know things like your reading level, whether
English is your first or second language, and what
sorts of books you like already, or some similar clues
to your tastes, to guide you toward some
likely-to-be-happy choices.
Lois McMaster
BujoldLike all stylistic questions, the
answer is It Depends. I would say Sally, but whether
you could make that work would depend on how smoothly
you set up the transition in and out of the flashback,
embedding the necessary clues and traffic signals for
the reader. Which might depend in turn on what reason
your point-of-view character is channeling the memories
of another person or personality.
For writing advice generally, I always rec Pat Wrede's
book Wrede on Writing; also her blog, http://www.pcwrede.com/blog/
VictorSure, but
I’m more inclined to think it’s some spam bot of
some sort; an user who just signed up, has no
activity on the site except setting
themselveSure, but I’m more inclined to
think it’s some spam bot of some sort; an user
who just signed up, has no activity on the site
except setting themselves a reading challenge of
1 book for 2018, who rated one book that they
want to read 2 stars, and who out of the blue
asks an author what books they wrote? On
Goodreads? It’s a bit like walking into a
bookstore, walking up to the counter, planting
your hands to your waist and screaming, “So, do
you sell any books?” :) In any case, kudos to Ms.
Bujold for taking the time to answer :)...more Oct 27,
2018 10:11AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldIt's the
internet. Charity doesn't take any more time,
energy, or attention than cruelty; less,
usually.]
Ta, L.It's the internet. Charity doesn't
take any more time, energy, or attention than
cruelty; less, usually.]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Sure, but I try to limit the impulse to typos or clear
infelicities of grammar or construction. Plus the
occasional adverb kill or extirpation of a word-echo,
or regularizing capitalization or spelling of
neologisms. In earlier passes, I spent a lot of time
tidying italics, as for mechanical reasons I'd avoided
them in my first few works. (My daisy-wheel printer
used to jam when going back over lines to underline,
the then-current method of signalling to the (human!)
typesetter that the word was to be italicized when the
pages were composited. Instead I had to go over every
page with a straight-edge and pen to hand-enter them.
Also earlier with my old electric typewriter and
carbons, though I forget what its problem was with
backing up to underline. Electronic files now make this
concern obsolete, yay!)
Perpetually rewriting old books is a temptation to be
resisted, first because it would be a bottomless task
that would swallow all new work, second because that
other Lois of 20 or more years ago was another person,
and I don't exactly have the right to alter her work.
Though once in a great while I find a line has been
widely misread or misconstrued by some significant
number of readers, and I have to think hard about
whether to violate that historical principle. Words
changing their meanings or usage over generational time
is yet another thorny problem.
The temptation is automatically limited with works on
paper, as changes can only be made when a new edition
is printed. E-books, argh.
Bob IrwinAh, come
on... Let Miles enter a red-dot time vortex and
reboot the Vorkosigan-verse. At the end of the
book, let Young Miles run into old Miles, as
oAh, come on... Let Miles
enter a red-dot time vortex and reboot the
Vorkosigan-verse. At the end of the book, let
Young Miles run into old Miles, as old Miles goes
off to a new Barrayar colony with a few survivors
and Young Miles goes off with James T. er...
Bothari to save the universe....more Oct 30,
2018 08:21AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldI
had almost managed to blot that travesty of a
movie from my mind and memory... you just
had to remind me...
SusanThe typos
(or whatever causes the egregious misspellings)
in so many e-books drive me nuts! At least in a
paper book I can get my pen out and make
theThe typos (or whatever causes the
egregious misspellings) in so many e-books drive
me nuts! At least in a paper book I can get my
pen out and make the correction.......more Nov 29,
2018 11:16PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes! It was very self-indulgent.
Treated myself to a massage, hit Lund's/Byerly's
grocery for decadent supplies, swung by the library,
watched some of the anime series I'm presently binging
on till I ran out of DVDs, then spent the rest of the
time reading. Perfect cocooning plan for a gray
November day.
I will have the dinner out later in the month, with my
usual birthday dinner round-robin group, but I prefer
to avoid restaurants on Fridays and Saturdays, having
become crankily allergic to noise and crowds.
Lois McMaster
BujoldA
print edition is planned, or rather, two collections of
three novellas each, but they will likely not be in
time for a birthday before late next year. I will post
on my blog when all is finalized and there are more
details to impart.
Speaking as an older reader, I'm adoring my tablet
computer (an Android Pixel C, in my case) with Kindle
app for most of my own reading these days. It turns
every e-book into a large print book (eye issues,
argh), and is lighter and easier to hold than any paper
book (arthritis issues, also argh. I prop mine up on a
cushion on my lap and don't have to hold it at all.)
The initial learning curve -- tap where? -- was
as usual maddening, but with a few days' practice
became entirely worthwhile. (Mine taught me some moves
to manage my soon-added Smartphone, as well.) And a
general-purpose tablet is not limited to the Kindle
app. For a gift that keeps on giving, you might, if
your budget extends (or can be combined with siblings')
think about giving her a tablet for reading. And, if
you are especially good and techie children, setting it
all up for her. (My son did mine for me, heh.)
Other advantages: being able to check out or return
library e-books for free, any time day or night,
without having to drive anywhere; ditto buying books,
pulling them out of the air. There are also thousands
of older classic books up for free, many also readily
accessible through the Kindle app.
SusanI would
recommend getting her an ipad or some other sort
of tablet, as opposed to the proprietary Kindle
or Nook. With a tablet, you can install the
KI would recommend getting
her an ipad or some other sort of tablet, as
opposed to the proprietary Kindle or Nook. With a
tablet, you can install the Kindle and Nook apps,
and read either on one device, as well as library
format, which I understand is different. Right
now I"m using a Nook, but because the one I was
gifted with is trying to die, I'm considering a
tablet instead of trying to replace it. I have
hundreds of Nook books, many of which I haven't
read yet, so I need something that will work with
them!...more Dec 03,
2020 09:47PM ·
flag
JerriBy the
way, the hardback print version, in two volumes,
containing the first 6 Penric tales are currently
available, with paperback versions due
soon. Dec 04,
2020 05:29AM ·
flag
Alex
ShruggedI thought
"The Vor Game" was pretty much a "Gregor" book or
at least half a Gregor book.I thought "The Vor Game" was
pretty much a "Gregor" book or at least half a
Gregor book....more Nov 11,
2018 12:31AM ·
flag
Susan PriceThat was
my first thought, Alex. Also, he is pretty
prominent in the ensemble cast that is A Civil
Campaign. May 18,
2020 05:38AM ·
flag
Alex
ShruggedNow that
I think of it, Gregor didn't have very many lines
in "Memory", but the ones he did have were
decisive and powerful.Now that I think of it, Gregor
didn't have very many lines in "Memory", but the
ones he did have were decisive and
powerful....more May 21,
2020 08:45PM ·
flag
Diana
GagliardiI JUST
found this author because _The Thief_ is a
Reading Olympics selection this year- OMG!! Such
politics! No wonder I enjoy them and Vorkosigan
:) Nov 14,
2018 07:46AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
so glad my work stands up for you over multiple
rereadings. As per your request, I can only answer it
as I have others before; nothing new is planned at this
time.
CarolAlso on
request is the story of Ekatarine's and Miles'
children and how their early family life prepared
them for adventures in the next Vorkosigan
geAlso on request is the story
of Ekatarine's and Miles' children and how their
early family life prepared them for adventures in
the next Vorkosigan generation.
OK, I get that nothing more is planned. I want
Lois to continue enjoying her retirement!...more Nov 21,
2018 05:56AM ·
flag
Kalen
DelaneyIt seems
to still be at the reduced price, 5 days later.
Even though I've read Curse too many times to
remember, I've only read Paladin once. I'm
lookIt seems to still be at the
reduced price, 5 days later. Even though I've
read Curse too many times to remember, I've only
read Paladin once. I'm looking forward to reading
again, especially now that I know more about
demons, post-Penric....more Nov 26,
2018 09:22AM
ChristinePoS is one
of my favourite books. Nov 27,
2018 12:54PM
Kalen
DelaneyOn my
first reading, it almost seemed like a letdown
after Curse of Chalion. It left me lukewarm so I
never reread it. Basically, all I remembered
aboOn my first reading, it almost
seemed like a letdown after Curse of Chalion. It
left me lukewarm so I never reread it. Basically,
all I remembered about it was that it was about
Ista, and one of the de Gura brothers got a
demon. But now after getting it for Kindle, and
after reading all the Penric demon books, I'm
rereading it. OMG. It's like a brand new book!
What joy... a new World of Five Gods book! It's
wonderful and I can't believe all the things I'd
completely forgotten. :-)...more Nov 27,
2018 01:21PM
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, I've read quite a bit of
Charles. I reviewed a few in my My Books space, if you
scroll back. Favorite so far was The Secret Casebook
of Simon Feximal,
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ,for its
Victoriana-pastiche values among other things.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI've dipped into several such.
Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series sticks in my mind.
Sherlock Holmes and Peter Wimsey are only historical by
default, these days. There are actually rather a lot of
fantasy-mystery crossovers out there, since one must
give one's characters something to do, and Great
War for the Fate of the World stories are getting
really old.
For an older but still splendid entry in the genre, I
expect the Lord Darcy stories by Randall Garrett still
hold up.
The trick with a fantasy mystery, I think, is that
there be a fantasy element both integral and fair in
the mystery part.
Richard
DerusOh my, the
Lord Darcy stories! I loved them immoderately in
the 1980s. Thank you most kindly for reminding me
that the Angevin Empire still rules in aOh my, the Lord Darcy stories! I
loved them immoderately in the 1980s. Thank you
most kindly for reminding me that the Angevin
Empire still rules in a (better?) fictional
world....more Nov 25,
2018 09:14AM ·
flag
Ethelinda
WebbThe Marcus
Didius Falco series by Lindsey Davis is also
excellent - set in early Imperial Rome/Roman
Empire. Nov 25,
2018 09:57PM ·
flag
Barbara
MonajemThe Gaius
Petreius Ruso series by Ruth Downie also takes
place in the Roman Empire, a bit later than
Lindsey Davis' series. I love both these
series.The Gaius Petreius Ruso series by
Ruth Downie also takes place in the Roman Empire,
a bit later than Lindsey Davis' series. I love
both these series. And just bought a Lord Darcy
book -- looks like great fun....more Dec 01,
2018 06:59AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Coincidence; I barely watched that era of Star Trek.
But notions of various sorts of spiritual or alien body
possession or sharing have been kicking around fantasy
and SF since before they were even genres. For earlyish
examples on the SF side, Heinlein's The Puppet
Masters for a negative, Hal Clement's Needle
for a positive spin, both of which I read back in the
60s. For fantasy, too numerous to list. Who knows how
many variations in anime by now.
Not a new or unique idea. Whatever freshness any given
writer may bring to it is all in the details. On the
other hand, no one complains that they've already read
one story about a human being, they don't need to read
any more...
Jonathan
Palfrey“Needle”
was conceptually interesting and the early
chapters are good, but he was better at aliens
than at humans, and it bogs down when multiple
huma“Needle” was conceptually
interesting and the early chapters are good, but
he was better at aliens than at humans, and it
bogs down when multiple humans start interacting
with each other. Too bad, because it must have
been a really innovative idea at the time....more Mar 29,
2023 02:03PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The Vorkosiverse would certainly have it within easy
options to medically arrange the mother's (or
wet-nurse's) hormones however she or it pleased. (*)
Well-understood biology, by that time. In most places,
it would be considered a personal choice.
There would also be the option of vat-made human milk,
I have no doubt. (Or any other kind.)
* - Also, Athos. Who knows what they consider
culturally normal, though I'd bet on vat milk there.
Probably.
JoannaApparently
men can breastfeed too, but they need prolactin
to do it, which they normally do not produce in
large enouch quantities. But I can just
seeApparently men can breastfeed too,
but they need prolactin to do it, which they
normally do not produce in large enouch
quantities. But I can just see Betan public
service ads „be a father – feed your baby” or
something like that…...more Dec 01,
2018 03:49AM ·
flag
It's good to know the series still holds up for new
readers in a new millennium, so many years after its
inception. (It takes me aback to realize this series is
now older than some of its readers. If you were born
after 1982 for first writing, or 1986 for first
publication. That's... getting to be a lot of
people.)
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Following you on Goodreads I just bought
Gentleman Joe and the Red Queen (a Baen Books Original
First printing, February 2016, very beautiful book).
On page 19 I read "I knew Aral was bisexual when I
married him". This information does not correspond at all
to what you have written since Cordelia's Honor and
Barrayar ? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
You need to read Shards of Honor more carefully.
It's all in there, some by implication.
Note also that none of the following books are from
Cordelia's viewpoint. This closely shapes and
constrains what information leaks through. Miles
doesn't actually know everything about everything, as
much as he would like to; or else the stories don't
touch on Cordelia at all, being off-planet or whatever.
After a certain point, she would also have been
reticent for Jole's sake, as was Aral.
Viewpoint matters, people. Hugely. (At least in
tight-third or first person narratives. In real life,
too.)
Gérard
BouyerOK Lois
this scabrous part of Barrayar was totally out of
my mind. It confirms what I believe: good writers
always destroy their heroes. Dec 27,
2018 06:25AM ·
flag
VoralfredNot so
scabrous ! Gérard, your old mail does not seem to
work. Please check your PM on ibdof for private
discussion Dec 30,
2018 10:46AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This question makes the odd assumption that there is a
singular answer. But to answer in full would take
typing out my entire biography, which there is no space
(nor endurance) to do here.
However, if you scroll back through this Q&A
column, you will find a lot of similar questions asked
and answered previously, which should cover it. (Since
there are something like 600+ entries so far, this
should keep you busy for a while.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldEthan was the third novel
I'd ever written, in 1985, before I sold any.
(Shards was first and Warrior's
Apprentice was second.) "Labyrinth" and "The
Mountains of Mourning" were written around 1988 - 1989
to accompany "The Borders of Infinity", which had been
written in mid-1986 for another Baen anthology, into a
collection all my own. Borders of Infinity
(first pubbed Oct. 1989).
I have no idea who or what GG may be. I don't believe
Enrique's accent was mentioned one way or another in
"Flowers".
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes to all three -- running gag, inside joke among at
least the Survey types, and no, Beta isn't nearly as
perfect as some Betans would have outsiders believe --
plus an effect of my living through many decades of
American democracy.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThere used to be an alarming
theory that writers should be required to actively
extirpate fan fiction or lose their own rights, but
really, about ten million fanfics have been written
about Harry Potter, and no one (sane) is arguing that
J. K. Rowling does not therefore possess her own
copyrights. The concern, I think, belongs to a previous
technological era. Nuisance lawsuits can happen to
anyone, anywhere, for any reason, so I don't think pro
writers are especially vulnerable.
Actual plagiarism in professionally published media is
covered under a different set of laws and social
rules.
Hollywood is another smoke, with a much larger audience
having therefore a much larger number, if not
necessarily percentage, of nutbars in it, and more
money in play to attract predators and scavengers.
Production companies are picky about clear rights for
valid historical reasons.
Also, the boundaries are too fuzzy to sensibly
identify. What about filk? Poetry? Alternate Universe
or Crossover fics? Unlikely porn? The list goes on. I
certainly consider filk fair game, for starters.
Note that there could be no restriction I can imagine
on me reading fanfic in other fandoms... :-)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Speculation on Mark's part, but presumably he must have
seen a few cases like that, plus variations, before
when he was growing up in the clone creche.
There are approximately one million other online
writing and marketing columns out there, of variable
utility, most drawing on experiences from this
millennium, which my own are not. Perhaps commenters
could list some more they think good.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yep, it's centered around winter solstice on Barrayar.
It is also connected with some sort of intercalary
week/10 days/Saturnalia that is inserted every year to
make the Earth-origin 12-month calendar come out even
with the actual revolution of the planet around its
sun. (At one point I posited, but never used, the
notion that every Barrayaran month is exactly 4
weeks/28 days, leaving some more time to adjust at the
end.) The whole fudge-factor period is also dubbed
"Winterfair".
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Jole was first developed in 1989, when he popped into
The Vor Game and was so vibrant and suggestive
despite his short time on stage. The strong possibility
occurred to me then, but that wasn't what that (or
subsequent) books were about so it remained more
imagined potential than developed. The Sergyar section
of any of the characters' biographies couldn't occur
till I decided to send Aral and Cordelia off to Sergyar
when I wrote Memory in the mid 90s.
Following VK books had other characters and business,
not to mention settings, to explore, and then there was
that long stretch entirely away from the series when I
was writing the two fantasy series. So it didn't switch
from potential to kinetic till after that. And then the
relationships finally became thematically and plot
relevant to the book at hand, aka "more fun with
uterine replicators: the next generation (-al shift)",
with both gender and generational issues to explore
versus the technology, in Gentleman Jole and the Red
Queen and so Jole went, a bit belatedly, to center
stage. (Because, you know, for all the
character-and-relationship drama, this is
supposed to be science fiction, here.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Mark came mainly from, well, insight into Mark. He is
largely his own invention, in more ways than one. (Also
from my own notions about the fundamental biological
bases of behavior.) Since the book was written in the
early 90s -- 1992 - 93 -- I'll have to acquit me of
using "current" research. Or even then-current
research, beyond what leaked in from the general
culture.
John
FalstaffMy premed
is quite long ago, and I actually meant 'current
research at the time' (*'*$! character
restriction). I still find the psychological
conceptMy premed is quite long ago, and I
actually meant 'current research at the time'
(*'*$! character restriction). I still find the
psychological concept of control experience (for
eating disorders, not psychosis) quite
convincing: a family relationship which appears
harmonious from the outside but does not allow
the adolescent any control over her own life. As
a response, the adolescent turns to her own body
to obtain any form of control experience.
Reminded me very strongly of Mark, at the
time....more Dec 29,
2018 03:49AM ·
flag
Peter
HuebnerInterestingly
enough, John, I very recently read that
researchers have found genetic and biochemical
markers for anorexia nervosa. Changes the
pictureInterestingly enough, John, I very
recently read that researchers have found genetic
and biochemical markers for anorexia nervosa.
Changes the picture some, that does! (it was
probably in the science pages of The Guardian --
I took note but didn't bother to mark the
reference; a very interesting factoid though.
I've been intensely interested in what can go
wrong in brains since the 1970s ..)....more Aug 13,
2019 09:45PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Any actual sequel would just spawn fractal
possibilities for other sequels, so short of blowing up
the galaxy, which seems wasteful, there is no
"end".
Though there is fanfiction out there, if you're
desperate.
I'd actually like to get back to Penric, myself, but I
don't have the pieces I need to settle on a specific
tale yet.
JerriYou need
to write that feels right to you, but I LOVE
Penric and Desdemona- they have even passed Miles
and co. While I am happy to learn that there
iYou need to write that feels
right to you, but I LOVE Penric and Desdemona-
they have even passed Miles and co. While I am
happy to learn that there is a new installment in
the Sharing Knife world on the way, I would be
DELIGHTED with a new tale about Penric....more Dec 26,
2018 12:26PM ·
flag
ScottI totally
agree on The Vorkosiverse being done. To go back
and cover it again now would would be like going
back and adding to the Sistine Chapel. DonI totally agree on The
Vorkosiverse being done. To go back and cover it
again now would would be like going back and
adding to the Sistine Chapel. Don't do it if
you're not truly inspired. To paraphrase my
favorite author, It was a great work, it is
enough....more Jan 03,
2019 09:04AM ·
flag
TrixMDitto on
the Penric love! More episodes of his adventures
would be delightful. Mar 20,
2019 05:48AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
"Name TBA" novella-ish evades any novella award
category because of its length; novel category ditto.
It's off the hook for that straight out of the
gate.
No word on audio or a print version -- it hasn't even
been finished in final revision (my least favorite part
of writing, urgh, so there is some loin-girding yet to
go, here) and submitted, let alone contracted, after
all. Neither are unlikely, but no news is no news. When
there is news, I shall certainly post it.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
am going to throw this one open to the commenters,
since I have no idea what sort of publisher, or scam,
Covenant Books may be. Normal publishers allow the
writer to make corrections at the line-edit, the
copy-edit, and the page-proof stage. Which are up to
the writer to make good. If you did not do so, the
result is on you, not them.
(There are horror tales of messes occurring between
page-proof approval and publication, which other
published writers will have to supply; I've been mostly
lucky. Except on a few reprints where, because they
were setting from old files, I didn't think I'd need to
read the page proofs again, wrong, sigh.)
Although I am not entirely sure whether you are
referring to actual editing, where the line editor
makes substantive suggestions to improve the work that
the writer carries out (or elects not to, or comes up
with alternate fixes), or copy-editing, where minor
errata are addressed, or final page proofs, after final
formatting and typesetting, to winkle out the last
typos and similar glitches. (The next stop is Readers'
Eyes, at which point it is Too Late.)
But, really, learning to edit your own material is one
of the basic tasks and duties of a writer. Because you
can't trust anyone else, even at a pro publisher. If
you can't send in a manuscript as close to camera-ready
as humanly possible... then you need to go over it
again. Yourself. Though perhaps with help from friends
or a crit group, or whatever online resources you can
access for your specific weak issues.
Alex
ShruggedI USED to
be a magazine editor when I was young and
foolish. I agree that hiring an editor is a good
idea if for no other reason that one can avoid
aI USED to be a magazine
editor when I was young and foolish. I agree that
hiring an editor is a good idea if for no other
reason that one can avoid a lot of obvious and
embarrassing mistakes. When I write, most of my
time is taken up removing redundant passages, or
good ideas that should appear somewhere else or
not at all. I tend to lose focus when a new idea
suddenly springs up. I need to keep those ideas,
but I also need to finish the passage I had
begun. I try to remember that the best is often
the enemy of the good. (You can quote me on that.
:-) )...more Jan 10,
2019 08:17AM ·
flag
John
Prigent@Hiring'
an editor? You mean be paid for it? I beta-read
and proof-read novels without payment. Also
non-fiction reference books written in English
by@Hiring' an editor? You mean
be paid for it? I beta-read and proof-read novels
without payment. Also non-fiction reference books
written in English by people who think in other
laguages. Only one of them pays me, and that's
because he's a profession writer who
self-publishes. Though I do get free copies of
the published books. I have done paid editing
work for seaveral publishers in the past, but I'm
too old for tht kind of pressure now....more Jan 15,
2019 06:02AM ·
flag
Although, in all cases, the answer is no. No media
adaptations of my work have yet been made.
(Well, except for that one early short story "Barter",
made into a half-hour episode by Tales from the
Darkside, which had so little to do with the story
I wrote I coldn't figure out why they even bothered to
license the rights. No one would ever have guessed a
connection.)
Alex
ShruggedWatership
Down is on Netflix right now. The graphics are
beautiful, but the story adheres closely to the
mechanics of the book rather than the
spiritWatership Down is on Netflix right
now. The graphics are beautiful, but the story
adheres closely to the mechanics of the book
rather than the spirit of it. In other words, the
rabbits went here. The rabbits went there.
Action. Fighting, but they left out the spiritual
aspects of the book. Something similar happened
to a Wrinkle in Time. Visually very exciting, but
they tore the guts out of the main message of the
book. (I have my guesses as to why, but I've seen
books mangled by the movies enough to realize
that it was more likely stupidity than bad
intent.)...more Jan 13,
2019 04:48PM ·
flag
Talli
RuksasCorinne -
I agree that it's not a bad movie and I didn't
mind the move from the UK to the US that much
since they had a legit American movie star
whoCorinne - I agree that it's
not a bad movie and I didn't mind the move from
the UK to the US that much since they had a legit
American movie star who didn't then have to do a
bad British accent but the fake romance was a
terrible idea. Hopefully the movie rights were
enough to really benefit the zoo. I do recommend
the book tho...more Jan 14,
2019 04:23AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Hm, hard to answer, since much of my writing is
intuitive rather than consciously constructed. But I
suppose decades of direct observation of people
(especially including myself), personal experience,
doings; more at a remove, reading, watching, listening
and more reading. My theories of human behavior are
based to the degree my understanding allows in the
patterns of the deep biological and bio-social
substrate of all primate humans, as contrasted with
particular cultures or associations (although the group
dynamics of all kinds of human associations and how and
why they assemble themselves is itself a study.)
"Accidents versus essences" is the way I sometimes
shorthand it for myself. Or, "Culture is what biology
uses to clothe itself." And, sometimes, to disguise
itself.
Also, do keep in mind, when you are reading certainly
fiction but also nonfiction as well, what you are
experiencing is not the world, but the inside of
another writer's head. Which is a thing to be marveled
at in itself, but, as the old saying goes, the map is
not the territory.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, I'd like to do more with Penric and his
Princess-Archdivine sometime, though no obvious plot
has yet reported for duty, only insufficient bits. The
nice thing about ala carte e-publishing is that it
doesn't set a series order in stone, or print. I can
jump around anywhere in Pen's timeline if I want.
I will leave more intimate personal speculation about
Llewyn and her long-time faithful secretary and friend
to the fanficcers, methinks. Note they are both sworn
members of the Daughter's Order, not the Bastard's
Order, fwiw.
Des seems to go off-line when Penric is unconscious or
asleep, cut off from the world just as he is. It might
be the first sign of a demon, oops, ascending to take
over the sorcerer's body if the demon could seize the
wheel during unconsciousness, Jekyll & Hyde fashion,
but that speculation is not established in text at this
time.
David
SamuelsKJ Parker
does some excellent short stories that remind me
a bit of Bujold. Particularly Mightier than the
Sword, though I think that's around 100ppsKJ Parker does some excellent
short stories that remind me a bit of Bujold.
Particularly Mightier than the Sword, though I
think that's around 100pps...more Jan 16,
2019 05:54PM ·
flag
SeantheaussieI
wouldn't call Crusie's Bet Me ethical.
Very strong family friendships in the slow burn
romance From Lukov with Love by Zapata, the
Winston Brothers sI wouldn't call Crusie's Bet Me
ethical.
Very strong family friendships in the slow burn
romance From Lukov with Love by Zapata, the
Winston Brothers series by Penny Reid and the
Bridgerton series....more Jan 21,
2019 12:15PM ·
flag
If you are referring to the just-published "Knife
Children", it's about 52,000 words. Structurally,
functionally, and in price a novella, though a tad
overweight for the official category.
ErikYeah, in
this case, I'm not sure. Usually, comment-bots
will be used to embed a hyperlink of some kind,
hoping people will click it. For this one,
thoYeah, in this case, I'm not sure.
Usually, comment-bots will be used to embed a
hyperlink of some kind, hoping people will click
it. For this one, though... ?...more Jan 28,
2019 12:51PM ·
flag
SusanI've found
people using the review section on Nook books as
a chat room, basically. It is extremely annoying
when you just want to see what people thoI've found people using the review
section on Nook books as a chat room, basically.
It is extremely annoying when you just want to
see what people thought of a book....more Feb 01,
2019 08:10PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I think you want an actual biologist or
biology/evolution pop sci or scientific book/article to
answer this question, and as recent as possible --
basically, anything published in the biological
sciences more than five years old is likely to be out
of date. Sometimes, more than one year old. But the
peculiarities of human mating cycles compared to the
other primates have been commented-upon since, gosh,
Desmond Morris? Speaking of out-of-date pop sci.
I briefly met Le Guin exactly once, at a convention
many years ago, so cannot pretend to speak for her in
any way. Note, though, that in most works of fiction
there will be at least two levels, representation and
metaphor, and it is as well not to confuse one with the
other.
Re: your other question, others on the internet would
be more up to date on these PR issues than I am.
On that head, I've lately received a slew of stealth
attempts to parasitize my blog or Q&A with covert
ads, links, and promotions for other people's totally
unrelated books. I thought the first few might just be
clueless newbies with bad netiquette, but as they've
kept coming I suspect someone is telling new writers to
do things like this. Don't.
I don't choose books to review. I just choose books to
read, and if I've read it, I figure I might as well
toss up a review if there's anything of interest to say
about it. Goodreads' function makes it easy, which is
why I started.
That said, I usually limit reviews to the first in a
series if there is one, I don't review anything I did
not finish, and I don't review everything I read.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Thank you for your attentive reading! What people get
out of my prose does depend to a degree on what they
bring to it.
No, it's not consciously done, exactly. I do feel any
paragraph should spill out, at the end, someplace
further on than where it began, and therefore most
sentences, from which paragraphs are made, must do so,
or link up to do so, as well. Making each paragraph a
unit of change in the story, if you will: in motion.
And I do spend a lot of time in the editing passes
improving word choice, sometimes for purely mechanical
reasons like fixing word echoes, sometimes to sharpen
characterization or world-building. But I don't think
of that as anything other than just writing.
I did think, for a while early in the writing, that
Barr and Lily might make it to Clearcreek, but the
story had other ideas, thematically driven. You may
certainly imagine them making a more social visit later
on.
Nothing new is planned in this world at this time. I'm
taking my projects one at a time nowadays.
TriciaI too got
excited thinking I'd see a Dag and Fawn and their
child's update. But I did thoroughly enjoy seeing
Barr "grow up", and find Lily. I rereadI too got excited thinking I'd see
a Dag and Fawn and their child's update. But I
did thoroughly enjoy seeing Barr "grow up", and
find Lily. I reread this series every summer as a
kind of balm. I love it....more Feb 05,
2019 07:53AM
SteveI really
appreciated the different angle on parenting, as
Barr has to confess to his history and figure out
how to be a sudden father. It may have espI really appreciated the different
angle on parenting, as Barr has to confess to his
history and figure out how to be a sudden father.
It may have especially registered with me, since
21 years ago I married a widow with three
children, two of who were teenagers. It's like
suddenly being dropped into a foreign country. I
liked this even better than the Penric stories,
but I recognize that any objective evaluation is
impossible for me....more Feb 05,
2019 09:16AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, as I've said elsewhere, I do rolling revisions
now I'm working paperless, so there is no real boundary
between drafts. (This does tend to result in more
editing and micro-editing of the earliest parts than
the latest.) Finding "the end" is done as much by feel
as anything; I know it when I see it. I also collect an
array of test reads, aka beta reads, both during and at
the end, which gives me a mirror in which to see the
work when my own eyes don't focus anymore.
The final editing pass is always a very nervous
proposition. I've described late edits and changes as
like trying to swap out one card in the second layer of
an eight-layer house of cards.
Other than that, I can tell the end is nigh by
exhaustion; mood swings viz the work, from delight to
hostility and back (though those go on in the middle as
well); noting that changes are starting to muddy rather
than clarify; and the ever-popular "change it and then
change it back, lather, rinse, repeat" syndrome, all of
which are signals that it's time to be done.
Deadlines, wanting the fun of publication, or the call
of a new story also motivate putting the keyboard down
and backing away. However, the phrase "a story is never
finished, only abandoned" is one of those great truths.
My daughter, a metals artist, also put it strikingly
when she described a finished piece as "a series of
decisions that I stopped making."
Gérard
BouyerIt's very
fair all that, we return more or less on his
work. Can do better or something forgotten,
sometimes a sequel, remind us to their good
memorieIt's very fair all that, we return
more or less on his work. Can do better or
something forgotten, sometimes a sequel, remind
us to their good memories Thank you Lois
C'est très juste tout cela, on revient plus ou
moins sur son travail. Peut mieux faire ou
quelque chose d'oublié, parfois une suite, nous
rappellent à leur bon souvenir Merci Lois...more Feb 14,
2019 05:04AM
SnailThat's how
I feel about painting and writing comics as well!
Never really done, just set down and not picked
up again. Glad you share your works and wThat's how I feel about painting
and writing comics as well! Never really done,
just set down and not picked up again. Glad you
share your works and words with us!...more Feb 14,
2019 12:58PM
Apart from pointing out basic errors such as spelling,
grammar, typos, confusing syntax, word echoes, or
floating antecedents, which should be utterly routine
and feeling-free, framing remarks in the mode of, "This
bit did this for me. Did you really mean it to work
that way?" can be helpful. Saying "you are wrong" can
be argued with; saying "I had this response" really
can't. Including positive remarks along with the
negative also helps keep the recipient's ears open and
less defensive.
As for myself, I have a very tiny circle of other
writers with whom I exchange crit, all of us going back
for years. Tact is still required, but we all know that
for all of us, making the work as good as it can be
comes before feelings. Though, granted, possibly not by
much; I still sometimes have to take a day or three to
digest negative crit sent my way. (It probably also
helps that they all write at a high professional level
already, which cuts out need for the bulk of
lower-level -- but also more objective --
corrections.)
Talli
RuksasYuck.
According to my Google results (which we know are
ALWAYS accurate) it's illegal for someone to
profit from your copyrighted work/quotes
withoutYuck. According to my Google
results (which we know are ALWAYS accurate) it's
illegal for someone to profit from your
copyrighted work/quotes without your written
permission. Of course then you have to decide if
it's worth fighting them....more Feb 21,
2019 04:15PM ·
flag
MarieA
collateral question: is it legal for someone to
make a *personal* item using a published quote?
That thought crossed my mind recently when the
ideaA collateral question: is it legal
for someone to make a *personal* item using a
published quote? That thought crossed my mind
recently when the idea of a cross-stitched "What
is love but delight in another person" sampler
would have made a dandy wedding gift.... had I
had the time and creativity to produce it
:-)...more May 28,
2019 01:58PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, apart from the prior
tetralogy, and the picture in my head that wouldn't go
away that always started with Barr shaving off his
Luthlian beard and going on to find the burned-down
farm, there was a certain amount of reverse-inspiration
from every YA novel ever about the adolescent
girl/young person running away from a home where no one
appreciates them, with or without the village
slaughtered in their wake, and onward with magical pet
to find secret powers, better mentors, improved
bio-social status, heroism in the War to Save the
World, etc etc.
This novella runs the classic scenario through more
realistic filters, and most of all looks to see what
happens when one switches the viewpoint and focus to
the cast of characters who are more normally portrayed
as casually dismissed collateral damage or public
utilities. Thus, an exploration of the hazards of
parenting, of the people who have to carry the can,
rather than of adolescent empowerment.
Lots of other details from my life and experience and
acquaintance, at all ages, went in as needed, but
that's the structural backbone.
(There are a curiously large number of YA-centered
stories out there, both pro and fan, that seem to have
absolutely no idea what grownups do all day, nor
how the worlds they live in are made and
maintained.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldAll
of the Vorkosigan books are available as ebooks on
Kindle, Nook, and iTunes. Speaking for Kindle, which I
use myself, simply download the free Kindle app from
the Amazon website onto your chosen device, and follow
the directions. You should be up and reading in
minutes. It should work fine on your smartphone. (I
also have the app on my phone, as backup, though I
don't use it for reading due to small-size issues.) I
believe our other two vendor platforms offer something
analogous.
I have a Kindle Paperwhite, but I haven't used it since
I put the Kindle app on my general-purpose tablet, with
its much larger screen (which will also display e-manga
and color.) It turns every ebook into an instant
large-print book, much appreciated by my aging eyes. (I
have an Android Pixel C, but most any tablet should
work the same)
The Baen e-bookstore also offers some of my stuff,
possibly in more forms; check it out at Baen.com
Scott@Lois, No
harm, no foul! As an IT guy, I offer mine up for
money to the highest bidder; I've no room to cast
aspersions. You're at least familiar and@Lois, No harm, no foul! As an IT
guy, I offer mine up for money to the highest
bidder; I've no room to cast aspersions. You're
at least familiar and comfortable with what you
use, which is a large step. Be proud!...more Mar 03,
2019 12:02PM ·
flag
SusanLooks as
if we have a spammer.... Aug 29,
2019 09:33PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, first, wrest back control
of your auto-correct feature, which is stabbing you in
the back.
I am not a writing teacher -- also, characterization is
not a conscious process for me, which makes it hard to
break down into teachable bits -- but I promise you
will find much to chew on at Pat Wrede's writing blog
at http://www.pcwrede.com/blog/
You can use its search function to winnow the
offerings, for example by typing "characterization" or
other likely keywords into the search box at the
top.
I see she also has her excellent Worldbuilding piece
up, now divided into subsections:
https://www.pcwrede.com/fantasy-world... It focuses
on fantasy, but much is equally applicable to SF.
And, of course, there is her blog collection Wrede
on Writing, available as a separate ebook, very
convenient.
SoftnessYou have a
kind nature. I like that about you.
<3 May 14,
2019 07:20AM ·
flag
SusanShe's a
teenager with (apparently) a limited vocabulary.
I don't think her misspellings can be blamed on
autocorrect, either. But it is good of you
toShe's a teenager with
(apparently) a limited vocabulary. I don't think
her misspellings can be blamed on autocorrect,
either. But it is good of you to be kind to
her....more Jul 02,
2021 12:40AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, can't say as I've ever had that experience. I have
physically modeled characters from time to time off
actors, at least for their jumping-off points, but they
tend to mutate into their unique selves pretty quickly
as the story goes on.
Lois McMaster
Bujold Test of Honor was the title for an early (late
1980s) Science Fiction Book Club omnibus of Shards
of Honor and The Warrior's Apprentice. My
first SFBC sale, back in the day, which no doubt did
its bit toward building my audience.
Dire cover, but, being a dust jacket, at least one
could remove it...
RindisIt's how
I discovered you! (With help from a good used
book store.) It also makes an interesting
pairing, as the whole becomes more a story of
BothariIt's how I discovered you! (With
help from a good used book store.) It also makes
an interesting pairing, as the whole becomes more
a story of Bothari....more Feb 28,
2019 09:04AM ·
flag
KarenhuntIf you're
curious about the various titles available, you
might look at the vorkosigan wikia
(vorkosigan.fandom.com).
Google searches got less likely tIf you're curious about the
various titles available, you might look at the
vorkosigan wikia (vorkosigan.fandom.com).
Google searches got less likely to find the site
when it changed sites from wikia.com to
fandom.com, but the site owners claim that'll get
better soon. In particular:
https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Te...
and
https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Ca... and
https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Ca......more Mar 04,
2019 04:23AM ·
flag
SusanI have
Test of Honor! I wouldn't call the cover dire,
compared to some that the SFBC did (who can
forget McCaffrey's dragon with a steering wheel?)
BuI have Test of Honor! I
wouldn't call the cover dire, compared to some
that the SFBC did (who can forget McCaffrey's
dragon with a steering wheel?) But yes, it's not
great. It's also probably the book that got me
started on the Vorkosiverse - I've had it so long
that I don't remember any more! Now I have all of
them in hardback and don't often re-read those
early ones - maybe it's time....more Mar 07,
2019 07:51PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
First of all, learn the difference in definition and
spelling between "inspiring" and "aspiring", which I
believe was the word you were actually reaching for
here. (Unless you were betrayed by your auto-correct,
in which case brush up on your proofreading.)
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[So, how did the golden general come by a
drop of the father's blood? Would he presumably had to
have performed some sort of human sacrifice for it? Did
the Father have some hatred for the Bastard or something?
Or were all of the gods fighting when the Father tried
his hand at conquering? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
In order: we don't know, not known but not outside the
range of possibility, no, and no.
The gods have no interest in human politics; they are
only interested in souls. They don't "fight" each
other, but it is not impossible they might compete for
souls in subtler ways.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes. Subterranean Press will be doing a collectable
hardcover edition like the Penric tales. Projected
publication late July. I've just had a look at the
cover art by Jenn Ravenna, very nice, so things are in
train. Nice interior design, too.
While it is on the shorter end of the novella range in
word count, about 23k words, paper publishing economics
are the same and so will the price be, $25. It's also a
binding that will stand up to library use. (If what you
want is a cheap reading copy, you need to turn to the
e-edition.)
Ta, L.
(The current official length of a novella for SFWA or
Hugo purposes is defined as a story between 17,500
words and 40,000 or 45,000 words, depending. This may
change in future; not my problem, though. The term's
wider definition out in the world of all books is
looser.)
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[In The Curse of Chalion, when Cazaril
returns from Ibra, Iselle welcomes him by saying "welcome
home, castillar." To which, it is said that the use of
his title was a covert warning. What was the warning?
(hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
You do realize I wrote that book almost 20 years
ago...? :-)
I just went and looked up that passage. The warning is
simply one Caz scarcely needs, that they are in a
public and not necessarily friendly venue, on-stage
under all eyes in one of the biggest political scenes
so far of Iselle's young life, and he needs to be
formal and cautious in his speech.
As a rule of thumb, what any reader will get out of a
work is sensitively dependent on what they bring to it,
since beyond the words-in-a-row blueprint the writer
supplies to all identically, the construction materials
are sourced locally.
A worked example of the process may be had by anyone
comparing the high and low star rating reviews on any
of my works, which Amazon will handily collate for one.
Anyone contemplating the range who thinks, "It doesn't
sound as if they read the same book," is quite right;
or, more precisely, didn't experience the same
book.
That said, it's a pretty obvious name. I'd be quite
willing to believe we were pulling from the same
sources. Which actually happens a lot, in writing.
StephenSpaceX
has the Falcon rocket series, and Merlin, Kestrel
and Raptor engines, so I think it is a bird
theme. The nine comes because that version of
theSpaceX has the Falcon rocket
series, and Merlin, Kestrel and Raptor engines,
so I think it is a bird theme. The nine comes
because that version of the rocket has nine
engines, they also built a Falcon 1 with one
engine, and once planned Falcon 5 with five
before they skipped it....more Mar 27,
2019 05:36PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I think these process questions may have been answered
at greater length earlier in this column -- people who
want more are invited to scroll back. But, briefly, the
answer would be different for each book but converging
on "a little". My notions at the start about the end
change along the route as I write my way, scene by
scene, into my material, and new possibilities arise
that were not yet thought-of, and could not be
thought-of, back at Scene 1. So even when I think I
know the ending, I often turn out to be wrong. The
story only looks inevitable in retrospect.
My scene-by-scene outlines are a rolling process,
scaffolding for my elusive thinking and my prose, built
and taken down in a just-in-time fashion. Like nailing
jello to the wall. (Which would work, come to think, if
you made the jello cold and concentrated enough...)
Lois McMaster
BujoldThere can be a number of
different answers. A series may cease to sell well
enough or be dropped by its publisher, in which case
the writer may switch to something that seems more
salable. Editors jump houses or companies go under,
pulling out the support rug. The writer may have health
or family issues. The writer may lose interest, in
which case squeezing out more would be a sort of mental
torture. The writer may have run out of fresh things to
say about this particular set of characters or world,
and be unwilling or unable to recycle and repeat. Where
the story seems to want to go may be a place the writer
doesn't wish to follow. The writer may have grown into
other interests, so the story doesn't have any powering
emotional resonance for them anymore. The zeitgeist may
have moved on, leaving the story beached, out of date,
too clearly the product of an earlier time. Or any
combination of the foregoing.
Lois McMaster
BujoldBack in the day (mid-80s) there
was no internet nor, from a small town in Ohio, other
easily accessible source of information on agents, so I
mainly asked my writer friends, when we corresponded or
I met them at conventions, about theirs. My first such
query sourced that way fell flat, politely rejected. I
no longer remember the details, but I must have learned
about the second through another writer acquaintance
who used that agent. (I had at that point made my first
novel sales to Baen unagented, and sold a scant few
short stories.) There was some no-longer-remembered
exchange of letters, but somehow we arranged to meet in
NYC when I was there for the '89 Nebulas (at which
Falling Free won for best novel) and shook hands
at a breakfast meeting the next day.
Which was 30 years ago this spring, if I have my
arithmetic right. It was a very lucky break for me -- I
had only the vaguest idea what I was doing -- but, like
most luck, preceded by a lot of work.
Gérard
BouyerAnd yes,
luck is also involved in a career: 20% talent,
80% chance! Apr 04,
2019 11:52AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldThe
plucked-from-the-air percentages vary in that
quip, but in all cases the work has to come
first. The work (and talent) create a pool of
people upoThe plucked-from-the-air
percentages vary in that quip, but in all cases
the work has to come first. The work (and talent)
create a pool of people upon whom luck can then
fall. Necessary but not sufficient, as the saying
goes.
MarthaI imagine
it can't hurt to have a Nebula in your pocket
already when you're talking to an agent.
:)I imagine it can't hurt to
have a Nebula in your pocket already when you're
talking to an agent. :)...more Apr 05,
2019 07:39AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
do sign at Hugo's occasionally, but my next gig is
planned for midsummer when "The Flowers of Vashnoi"
comes out from Subterranean Press. Hugo's always has
signed books of mine in stock, however, which may be
purchased in-store or mail order. Mail orders can
sometimes be personalized on request, though it will
make the order take a bit longer to fill.
Hugo's makes a great treasure trove to visit, and don't
forget the adjoining Uncle Edgar's for mysteries.
Meanwhile, if one's interests run to a wide range of
comics, there is also Dreamhaven Books & Comics here in
Minneapolis.
Widespread knowledge of the chemistry of fireworks is a
necessary precursor, and not the only one. The
population density is still relatively low. And guns
wouldn't work on malices anyway.
To clarify another often-missed point, the world of
The Sharing Knife is not a descendant of our
own.
Lois McMaster
BujoldA
few of my characters had some mild physical inspiration
from actors over the years, although once they hit the
page they quickly mutated into their unique selves. I
haven't really been watching enough live-action media
lately to keep up on the more recent menu of
possibilities. I think my characters would want new
actors and actresses to bring them to life
on-screen.
That said, back in the day Aral had some somatic
inspiration from Oliver Reed, Cordelia from Vanessa
Redgrave, Galeni from Paul Darrow. I once saw a fellow
in the early 80s who starred in a BBC-TV production of
Richard III that I thought could almost do
Miles, but his name escapes me... ah, thank you
Internet, it was Ron Cook.
To put it briefly: ideas are easy, writing is hard.
Most writers want to work on their own ideas, not
someone else's.
If you want to see your ideas on a page, you are
far better off learning how to write yourself. (Among
other things, that should teach you why your hopeful
plan above won't work.)
An excellent place to start, with some of the most
sensible writing advice on the web, is here: http://www.pcwrede.com/blog/
She even has some posts scattered in there on this very
topic, and why it never flies.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
There are quite a few posts earlier in this column, and
in my interviews, that describe my writing processes.
If you are really curious, you can scroll back. A bunch
of interviews are handily collected here: https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Au...
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I have very little in the way of scene-sized outtakes,
because most of that editing happens at the
rolling-outline stage, and doesn't make it past
pencil-scratchings. When I was slogging through the
middle of what became Diplomatic Immunity, I did
write an experimental prologue from Guppy's point of
view, but decided the book was thematically better
served starting where it had. Which is around
somewhere... ah.
Wow, that was a while back. (Spoilery if you've not
read the book, btw.)
There were also iirc five chapters midway in Ivan's
book that went in a different direction and ground to a
dead halt, which I scrapped in favor of the final and
better developments. (I was basically trying to shove
Ivan into a Miles-like plot, which did not work either
logically or psychologically.) That was probably my
biggest post-composition cut. It's nothing I'd show or
can even readily find at this point, but it wasn't
altogether work wasted, as I made up a deal of
material, including a first pass on Moira ghem Estif,
that I recycled in various ways.
Jonathan
PalfreyI suppose
a novelist doesn't have the sort of 'blooper'
scenes that often appear on Youtube, in which
actors misspeak, burst out laughing, or fall
oveI suppose a novelist doesn't
have the sort of 'blooper' scenes that often
appear on Youtube, in which actors misspeak,
burst out laughing, or fall over things. In
theory, there may be examples of readers of early
drafts (including the author) finding mistakes in
the story; but most of them are unlikely to be
amusing, and they're surely not recorded on
video....more Jun 16,
2020 03:01AM
Kalen
DelaneyWhat a
treat to get to read something new from the
Vorkosiverse, even just few pages!
<3 Aug 03,
2020 12:18PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Probably the Vorkosiverse. Pre-industrial-world medical
care and life options are pretty dire, not to mention
their more limited access to information.
In choosing, exactly where and when makes a difference.
All war and plague zones are contraindicated,
regardless of universe.
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, this (1993, I see,
accounting for its antique flavor) article seems to
have nothing to do with me, Miles, my work, or my world
literary or business. It's rather like reading about
aliens, except aliens seem more accessible.
MichelleNot OP,
but I will add, All of them! Years later and I
still bring up the planet with only males and the
re-population problem . I love the idea of
thNot OP, but I will add, All
of them! Years later and I still bring up the
planet with only males and the re-population
problem . I love the idea of the social contract
of having to earn the right to have
children....more May 10,
2019 09:23AM ·
flag
SoftnessYou mean
you wrote more than one? ;) May 18,
2019 07:27AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I suspect this is one of those recent spate of spam
questions, but just in case it's not, my birth year is
listed on my author profile.
L.
(The spam questions have been weird. Some are outright
gibberish, some could be an ESL person
struggling to express himself, none have anything
specific to do with my works (something of a tip-off.)
They don't usually seem to embed advertising links,
though some are clearly attempted mass promotion of
newbie amateur ebooks entirely unrelated to my genres.
Anyone else have thoughts on how to deal with this
clutter?
There are also a sprinkling of gibberish comments that
turn up randomly under my book reviews. Are other
reviewers getting these?)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I have the power to skip or flag peculiar Q&A
entries. I should likely skip more of them, but years
of ingraining from public schools -- answer every
question you can on the test! -- is hard to
overcome.
I do have to approve "friends", but as this is a public
site for, well, publicity, I don't vet them. (For one
thing, that would be much too large a tax on my time
and attention.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nothing at present. Well, except my own, to check
galleys on reprints, but that's not done for
fun. I do try to drop brief reviews of whatever
I am reading that I finish here in my "My Books"
section, but that's as much for my own benefit, to
remember it all, as anything.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I am most certainly not one of the first to write
romance into SF -- E. E. "Doc" Smith and Anne McCaffrey
preceded me by decades, among many, many
others.
SFR (Science Fiction Romance, for the uninitiated) has
hived off subsequently into its own commercially viable
subgrenre, and I haven't been keeping up with its
developments.
I'm enough of an old SF hand that I feel that if one is
going to make a romance central to an SF story, the new
technology, science, and/or world-building should
make a difference to how the old reproductive
dance plays out. Not just drop a bog-standard romance
down in front of an SFnal backdrop. But people write
and read this stuff for many more varied reasons than I
do, so that's more an observation of my own tastes than
a god-forbid prescription to anyone else.
SoftnessYou have
more patience than I would have. :) I'm also
trying not to giggle about the questions. ^^;;
Oh, I really liked your books too? ;)You have more patience than I
would have. :) I'm also trying not to giggle
about the questions. ^^;; Oh, I really liked your
books too? ;)...more May 25,
2019 07:36AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldPart of
that is an artifact that the bots won't post the
question unless it has a question mark in it, in
a probably-vain attempt to discourage
folksPart of that is an artifact that
the bots won't post the question unless it has a
question mark in it, in a probably-vain attempt
to discourage folks from using author Q&A
space for just comments, or rants, or
whatever.
I also get a few that should have gone via the GR
messages system, except that folks couldn't
figure out how to use it. Which is not
surprising; it's rather opaque.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Probably The Lord of the Rings and The Last
Unicorn top my list for fantasy. It's been many
decades since I read Asimov, but back in the day I
liked the robot stories and mysteries best.
SusanBack in
the day, I loved Asimov, and still own many of
his SF novels. I find that nowdays re-reading
them isn't as easy as I remember it being when
IBack in the day, I loved
Asimov, and still own many of his SF novels. I
find that nowdays re-reading them isn't as easy
as I remember it being when I first read them,
though!...more Jan 23,
2020 10:38PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Simon questioned it because Simon questions everything;
he's a naturally suspicious fellow. (Well, also by
training and long experience. Rats, he smells them. At
a great distance.) That ImpSec's records didn't match
the facts-as-found could only be determined later;
finding out why they didn't match will certainly
be someone's job post-events.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Pre-nerve-disruptor Dubauer wasn't based on anyone in
particular; though he barely had stage time to develop
before unfortunate plot events happened to him. His
behavior post-damage during the trek was inspired and
informed by my experiences chasing one-year-old
toddlers. It's an age when they are just getting into
that suicidal-mania stage, pre-verbal and post-mobile,
lasting the next couple of years that gives so many
parents heart attacks.
Which also gave Aral and Cordelia a chance to
subconsciously scope each other out as prospective
parents.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, you can buy signed and personalized copies of my
books from Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore here
in Minneapolis. They ship internationally.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, it was a metaphor. (Or else the email would be
much more exciting to open, but I don't think even
Vorkosiverse technology is up to emailing live animals.
Though that suggests a very different SF story...) Ivan
is performing a typical secretarial or executive
assistant's task of triaging the day's incoming demands
and filtering out things his boss shouldn't waste his
limited time upon.
Lois McMaster
BujoldPen
would consider himself straight. So is 10/12ths of
Desdemona. (Or 8/10ths, if one declines to speculate on
the gender identities of the lioness and the mare.)
Balancing these competing views is one of Pen's many
tasks in accommodating his demon.
Also playing in is Pen's deep medical education and
experience. When one of your jobs is teaching anatomy
to medical students through human and other dissection
(a winter course, back in Martensbridge), you pretty
much get over any kind of body-consciousness. Between
the long medical careers of Amberein and Helvia, and
his own shorter but extremely intense one, Pen has
pretty much seen it all by age 29, and must sometimes
remind himself that other people are shyer or more
prudish. "Anyone with their skin still on looks dressed
to me," as I believe he phrased it once.
SoftnessAhaha.
Pen's a cutie! <3Ahaha. Pen's a cutie! <3...more May 25,
2019 07:33AM ·
flag
Conniption
VirtueI’ve
noticed that the recent subterranean press
editions have cover art that I suspect is
deliberately ambiguous about Penric’s gender, at
least, on tI’ve noticed that the recent
subterranean press editions have cover art that I
suspect is deliberately ambiguous about Penric’s
gender, at least, on the part of the
artist....more May 11,
2023 02:04PM ·
flag
Most of Freud has been rendered obsolete by advances in
neurobiology, which is, y'know, actual science.
This, btw, is a typical spam-looking question. The two
tip-offs are that there is nothing whatsoever in it
about my work or me, and that the questioner is a
tabula rasa. Should I just be skipping these, or
do they entertain anyone?
Lois McMaster
Bujold
When a query looks a bit odd, a check of the poster's
page shows their stats. If they have more books than
friends, I figure they are here on GR for the right
reasons. Granted that's not a good proxy when a person
has just joined.
I don't auger down any more than that, because I am not
here to vet people. Or be responsible for them in any
other way, by preference. (I have to overcome
decades of parental and placation reflexes for
that, a work in progress.)
Freud seems to be the psychology equivalent of the
phlogiston theory: seemed logical in its day, spawned
lingering metaphors, obsoleted by further data.
...Yeah, these Q&A columns could do with a search
function. I can't even find stuff sometimes. I
did, it seems, once help persuade tptb to make it
possible to order them by newest, rather than the
random shuffle they had previously.
BrzkThank you
for the time you take to always answer, no matter
the question. :) May 30,
2019 06:37AM ·
flag
TerryGrover does
very well indeed, but I also remember fondly the
earlier editions with two readers, Wisconsin
Public Radio's Michael Hanson doing the
maleGrover does very well
indeed, but I also remember fondly the earlier
editions with two readers, Wisconsin Public
Radio's Michael Hanson doing the male
voices....more Jun 02,
2019 06:11AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The Sharing Knife (or the Wide Green World) has always
been its own world, not descended from our own.
It is, however, a source-riff on Midwestern US in
parallel, or contrast, to the many, many cod-Europe
fantasies out there. If Tolkien can do it with England,
and Pratchett with The Chalk, I don't see why my home
should be excluded from the game. (Aragorn gets Eagles,
Dag gets... turkey buzzards. :-)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This is too complex and individual a question to be
answered in a paragraph (or possibly at all), so
commenters are invited to chime in below.
But briefly, for myself as a reader, the writer/artist
can sell me almost any kind of world-building if they
have convinced me of the reality of the characters, and
get me inside their heads for some sort of gripping
interiority. (Granted, my foray into manga and anime
has lowered the bar for world-building logic.)
As a writer, while I know readers will forgive
or overlook much in a work that just delivers up the
right emotional set-pieces, I don't want them to have
to. (If a work doesn't deliver up the emotions, there
is little point in reading it; one would be better off
spending the same time reading non-fiction. Not that
non-fiction isn't selected and edited to be a kind of
fiction in its own right.) So the attention I spend on
world-building is actually in support of my
characters.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It's indeed an interesting question, and one I have
mulled from time to time, but I don't have anything
pending or trending in that direction yet. There are
still so many possibilities in the characters currently
on my plate.
Science would presumably develop differently, and on a
different timetable, with so many best-brains off in
pursuit of theology and sorcery.
Judy R.But...but...
Chalion exists as a gestalt. To think of it
popping up in some other gestalt evokes a
disturbing dissonance. Bigtime. Jun 13,
2019 10:18AM ·
flag
Judy R.Remembering
Sir PTerry's Narrativium as an existential force,
and throughout his writing the notion of the gods
(Small Gods) originating, waxing and wRemembering Sir PTerry's
Narrativium as an existential force, and
throughout his writing the notion of the gods
(Small Gods) originating, waxing and waning
according to their followers strength of belief,
Calion might be an adopted religion in another
world scheme that took on life of its own.
Actually, my belief is that they all are anyway,
some of them for gain....more Jun 13,
2019 10:26AM ·
flag
Jonathan
Palfrey“Science
would presumably develop differently, and on a
different timescale”—but you’re saying that it
would develop. As demons and sorcerers are
usua“Science would presumably develop
differently, and on a different timescale”—but
you’re saying that it would develop. As demons
and sorcerers are usually rare, any technology
would need to be non-magical to be useful to
ordinary people on a daily basis, so it could
plausibly end up looking roughly like ours.
Penric’s trick for printing documents is handy,
but it requires a sorcerer. There seems enough
motivation to develop a printing technology that
doesn’t need a sorcerer....more Apr 12,
2023 07:40AM ·
flag
Colin
DijkgraafYes, that
is a Thai phrase that says "Give general
knowledge Stay with us ... Keep up with the
digital age today." followed by a English "Oops!
That pYes, that is a Thai phrase that
says "Give general knowledge Stay with us ...
Keep up with the digital age today." followed by
a English "Oops! That page can’t be
found."...more Jun 15,
2019 01:31PM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I bought more than a decade ago a lot of
caps and cups plus stickers to stick on clothes.
I can not find these articles anymore.
Obsolescence affects all things in this world over time,
your novels resist quite well.
Maybe you could take this opportunity to do a complete
review of dendarii.com ?.
I thought about asking Miles and his wife but they
disappeared into the Nexus
Best regards
Gérard Bouyer (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I do not own or operate dendarii.com; Michael Bernardi
does. He's here on Goodreads, so you should be able to
find him for questions about the site. Note that he
maintains it solely as a fannish labor of love,
unpaid.
Softwear Toys 'n Tees was owned by a fan out of
somewhere near Chicago, Steve Salaba, and again, I
don't own or operate it, or know if he's still in
business. You'll have to search, I guess. There was
another convention dealer doing stuff for a while,
Pegasus iirc, but I haven't heard from them in
years.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I suppose a dead snake would be some problem that
should have been dealt with below this level, a garden
snake would be ordinary Ops issues, and a venomous
snake would be something with hidden political
implications or connections, or some genuine
time-critical emergency. (Actually, the later would
bypass the herpetology triage altogether.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Er, I am not Paul de Becker, and in fact have no idea
who he may be. Though that's the person you'd need to
ask for certain permission. It does sound like academic
fair use to me, but other posters with more experience
in these matters may chime in below.
This
question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[If Aral took umbrage at Cordelia
“cuddling” Koudelka that night in the library when
Cordelia was encouraging Kou regarding his disability,
isn’t Aral practising double standards when he
subsequently engaged in an extramarital affair with Jole?
How do you square these two perspectives in Aral’s
character? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldTwenty years of learning better.
A good bit under Cordelia's Betan tutelage, but
doubtless other life lessons and observations as
well.
Some readers seem to process characters as going into
stasis between moments on stage, stored in a prop box
until needed, and get unduly confused when they grow
and change between viewings as if they were real people
with real, complex lives. (Some people do the same with
their family members, so it isn't a phenomenon confined
to fiction.)
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[We find out from the book “Gentleman
Jole” that Aral had been carrying on an affair with
Oliver Jole since Miles was in the Imperial Military
Academy. At that time Aral was the Prime Minister and
leader of the Centrist Coalition. Wasn’t he concerned
that if this affair came to light, it would undermine his
political faction more severely than any antics of Miles?
How did they manage to keep it secret all those years?
(hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldRe:
question 2, very loyal supporters and considerable
public discretion. Aral has kept much bigger
secrets than this one. Re: question 1, you seem to have
forgotten or not registered the wide swathe of scandal
Aral blazed in his 20s, after which anything else must
seem a mere bagatelle to his interested observers.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
What you are talking about is a horror novella, of
which there are many, classic and new. Most of the
older classics (which I expect your teacher would
prefer) are probably available free on-line. Perhaps
other readers could chime in with some of their faves
below.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nope, that's a throw-away line, on the order of the
politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant.
(A classic example from the Sherlock Holmes stories.)
Not every Dendarii assignment/escapade was covered in
the stories, as they ran over some ten years.
AnitaThank
you! And thank you for all of your books.
Different ones have changed my life at different
times, and I can't thank you enough for
that.Thank you! And thank you for all
of your books. Different ones have changed my
life at different times, and I can't thank you
enough for that....more Jul 06,
2019 06:17AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
not quite sure how to parse this question. Skipping
over my youthful efforts and starting the count in late
1982, I wrote 3 novels in 3 years, sold them all to
Baen in late 1985, and tried to produce a book a year
thereafter. Lather, rinse, repeat for thirty years, and
here I am. Submitting my 4th novel Falling Free
to Analog for serialization probably helped my
early visibility, as well as winning my first Nebula
with it.
"Resources" and "connections" are pointless without
"productivity". Cart, horse...
ChristianeAwesome
article! Thanks for sharing, Brad! May 31,
2021 05:14PM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I've been doing a reread of the Sharing
Knife series and found myself wondering about the "Absent
Gods". Did the Wide Green World originally have Gods as
involved or more so than the World of the 5 Gods, who
then fled/were blocked from the world when the first
Malice was made? Is there someplace where you have talked
about this previously? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't think I've talked about this much, as it is a
story element I had no desire to commit to one way or
another. (Although if there is anything, it would be in
interviews from around when the books were first
published -- https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Au...
) Gods might have been real, and left or were excluded;
gods might have always been as mythological as our own.
The two things certainly known is that some people have
an extrasensory perception and magical manipulative
abilities, and no one believes the gods are around now.
There should be folk stories about this, but I did not
have occasion in the books to recount (invent) any.
ScottAs a
fellow nightowl, I'm not surprised though my
insomnia is much less frequent now that my
thyroid is under better control. I salute you
with my cofAs a fellow nightowl, I'm not
surprised though my insomnia is much less
frequent now that my thyroid is under better
control. I salute you with my coffee this late
morning! ;-)...more Jul 18,
2019 10:44AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, the landscapes of The Sharing Knife are
indeed drawn from my Ohio childhood (now mostly paved.)
I don't offhand know the building, though. There's a
lot of so-called Brutalist (if I'm getting the name
right) architecture around, though, as 20th C.
architects did regrettable things with concrete.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I use real places much the way working artists use
reference photos when arranging their compositions; not
because I am trying to draw a portrait, but as a quick
way to get proportions and perspectives right for a
coming overlay pursuing quite another purpose.
Readers who try to read the result as portraiture --
either as historical fiction with the serial numbers
filed off, or as historical critique -- are using
inappropriate viewing protocols for this style of
composition. The ones who attempt to draw mistakenly
exact one-to-one correspondences between such fiction
and history, and then try to tell the writer they got
it wrong, are... unstoppable, apparently.
Not accusing you of this, btw. But it does come up, if
one makes the mistake of revealing how sausages are
made.
PersLink
works fine for me. Jul 19,
2019 09:48PM ·
flag
MarieSame here
- just tried copying it from the question.
Googling "livescience.com cutest bugs" should
work. The two "jewel beetles" were the ones that
loSame here - just tried
copying it from the question. Googling
"livescience.com cutest bugs" should work. The
two "jewel beetles" were the ones that looked
most like Glorious Bugs....more Jul 21,
2019 01:23PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't have news re: an audio edition yet, though it
will certainly be offered. I am pleased to report
Subterranean Press has offered for a limited hardcover
like the others, though. They still have to chew
through "The Flowers of Vashnoi" and "Knife Children"
first, though, so that will likely be about a year.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
While I doubt that the "every few seconds" factoid is
correct -- men vary about sex quite as much as women
do, if not necessarily in the same proportions (and
over time as well as by individuals) -- I do think
expecting book-characters to be comfortably asexual, or
at least anything about their sexual lives well-hidden
off-stage, is less likely to be found in modern writing
than in the older, more censored sort that she might
prefer.
As for how authentically guy-like Miles is, guy readers
will have to speak to that.
Laer
CarrollForeign
words coming into another language get wrung into
a new form. It's almost a miracle that even one
syllable comes through intact!Foreign words coming into another
language get wrung into a new form. It's almost a
miracle that even one syllable comes through
intact!...more Jul 26,
2019 01:22PM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyFoix is
pronouned Fosh in Catalan; it's the name of a
minor river and artificial lake, between
Barcelona and Tarragona.Foix is pronouned Fosh in Catalan;
it's the name of a minor river and artificial
lake, between Barcelona and Tarragona....more Dec 23,
2019 05:13AM ·
flag
ScottAs a fan
who loves the romance angles in all the stories,
I have to say that story just tickles me. After
20 years together, I'm still trying to get
mAs a fan who loves the
romance angles in all the stories, I have to say
that story just tickles me. After 20 years
together, I'm still trying to get my voracious
reader of a wife to give any of them a try but
someday......more Jul 26,
2019 10:32PM ·
flag
Susan PriceScott,
don't give up. My husband got our (then) young
teen son to read all the then-published LMB
novels before I started ... and now we're all
hookedScott, don't give up. My husband
got our (then) young teen son to read all the
then-published LMB novels before I started ...
and now we're all hooked, including the younger
son, who has named his daughter Ekaterin, such a
lovely name. I just wasn't interested at
first--had other books I wanted to read, the
synopses didn't grab me ... until one day I WAS
ready. She probably will be too, sometime....more Aug 31,
2020 07:51PM ·
flag
ScottThanks
Susan! Don't worry, I'm persistent. She'll give
in someday, if nothing else because she goes
through books so fast. :-)Thanks Susan! Don't worry, I'm
persistent. She'll give in someday, if nothing
else because she goes through books so fast.
:-)...more Aug 31,
2020 09:23PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Mine will be one-at-a-time projects from here on out,
not that they weren't always, so no promises. Happily,
there are lots of other good writers out there to keep
you occupied while you wait.
Commenters might chime in below -- "If you like Bujold,
you might like..." I'll toss in Megan Whalen Turner to
prime the pump.
NaomiVery
different writing style, but if you like thought
experiments in space, I highly recommend Anne
Leckie's Ancilliary booksVery different writing style, but
if you like thought experiments in space, I
highly recommend Anne Leckie's Ancilliary
books...more Jul 26,
2019 10:44AM ·
flag
ChristineLiaden
series by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller Jul 27,
2019 04:22AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, this GR Q&A function is
in dire need of a search function. I don't think
whoever set it up imagined answered questions over time
running into the many hundreds. When they started out,
the reader could not even order questions by
newest-first, but was just presented with a random mix.
Maybe if many, many people requested a Q&A search
function of the GR site wranglers, one might be
installed?
To answer your question, Miles was at that moment
having his epiphany about his true identity through
that metaphor of his Barrayaran stubborness refusing to
give up his underlying identity as a Barrayaran and a
Vorkosigan, despite how Naismith's glittering galactic
possibilities tried to seduce him. Not just the echo of
his ancestors' war-tenacity, but an echo of his future
responsibilities to his District and redeeming the
poisoned land.
Lois McMaster
BujoldHaving just finished a 43k-word
near-half-novel last week (and some trailing editing
chores, plus writing a 2,000 word introduction for the
upcoming first Baen Penric collection), I am due some
slacking off right now. I have no idea what project I
will tackle next -- or rather, I have a few ideas lying
around breathing shallowly, but none have yet gone live
-- but the chances of anything like this seem remote at
present.
JerriLois
said: plus writing a 2,000 word introduction for
the upcoming first Baen Penric collection . .
.
Is that the Penric's Progress currently
availableLois said: plus writing a 2,000
word introduction for the upcoming first Baen
Penric collection . . .
Is that the Penric's Progress currently available
for pre-order on Amazon with a publication date
of Jan 7, 2020? I have it on order for the tiny
public library where I volunteer, as their budget
couldn't manage the Subterranean Press editions,
lovely as they are. Your books have the high
praise that they are among the most often
reported "lost" by folks who check them out and
don't want to return them, so I have to keep
re-purchasing. I think we are on the third copy
of Shards....more Jul 29,
2019 01:33PM ·
flag
Lois BujoldYes, that
would be it. I'll be posting some puff for it on
my blog once I chew through the current push for
"The Orphans of Raspay" epub and the "TheYes, that would be it. I'll be
posting some puff for it on my blog once I chew
through the current push for "The Orphans of
Raspay" epub and the "The Flowers of Vashnoi"
from SubPress.
Pre-orders are important, since publishers use
them to gauge print runs. SubPress got a little
caught out this round, since pre-orders were
light, the print run was careful and then, too
late, extra orders came in. Hence the immediate
sell-out.
(Penric's Progress will contain "Penric's
Demon", "Penric and the Shaman", and "Penric's
Fox".)
Kalen
DelaneyI'm
confused about this question... A younger Miles
and his time as an Imperial Auditor? That is what
he is NOW as of the [hopefully not] final
book.I'm confused about this
question... A younger Miles and his time as an
Imperial Auditor? That is what he is NOW as of
the [hopefully not] final book....more Apr 19,
2022 10:30AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldNot
odd, but I am not sure where Pen's stories, or his god,
are going to take him. A fair part of his world has not
even been made up yet, since no stories or characters
have traveled through them to bring them into
existence. He represents a chance, though not a
requirement, for something fresh.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThere were a couple of maps of
the Ibran peninsula, back when, which didn't make it
into the first hardcover but did into later editions.
The fan-made Chalion wiki reproduces and extends it --
see under Places at:
KarenhuntThere are
unofficial maps (author can change anything she
wants and I will simply redraw them to match
whatever new story says is true) on the
chalionThere are unofficial maps (author
can change anything she wants and I will simply
redraw them to match whatever new story says is
true) on the chalion site: https://chalion/fandom.com/wiki/Chali...
I am indeed very much hoping to bring the site to
life, and would be delighted by any assistance,
including one-sentence "Penric is a character"
articles....more Aug 08,
2019 03:58PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
Ibran peninsula is ~800 - ~1000 miles east of the
Carpagamon islands and the coast of Cedonia.
Remember, north is toward the equator, south is toward
the nearest pole. Also recall there are two large
peninsulas in play, the Ibran to the east and the
Cedonian to the west.
Lois McMaster
BujoldA
good question to which I've never worked out the
answer, since, among other things, I've never made up
what marriage ceremonies on Komarr consist of. (Though
they would include a lot of behind-the-scenes
contractual maneuvering, if the principals were from
high oligarchical families.) It is entirely possible
that Aral, at least, stayed home; Cordelia and/or Miles
might have attended; the Komarran Viceroy
Imperial Councillor might have stood in for
Barrayar.
ScottThat
actually sounds like a really fun short story to
be truthful. I mean what would the Komarrans make
of Miles' position with Gregor given his
physiThat actually sounds like a really
fun short story to be truthful. I mean what would
the Komarrans make of Miles' position with Gregor
given his physical incongruity with Barrayaran
Norms? How much more angry would they be with his
Name and parentage? As much as I totally get the
"VK Series is comeplete as is", it's a short or
novella idea with a real draw to me. Thanks for
the details!...more Aug 08,
2019 12:28PM ·
flag
CelticMiles on
Komarr for am important ceremony at which
'nothing must go wrong' sounds like a very
promising start for a storyline.Miles on Komarr for am important
ceremony at which 'nothing must go wrong' sounds
like a very promising start for a
storyline....more Aug 14,
2019 04:23AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, there will be two 3-novella
collections upcoming next year from Baen. The first,
due out in January in hardcover, will be titled
"Penric's Progress". The second, slated for later in
the year, will be titled "Penric's Travels". I'll be
making a proper blog post about them later on, when
this rather busy summer's other publishing activities
have been worked through.
Trade and/or mass market paperback editions will
presumably follow from Baen after the usual
intervals.
Lois McMaster
BujoldMuch the same philosophical
question Pen faced when slaying fleas in his bed. More
order for the bed, great disorder for the fleas...
There is a name for that sort of moral accounting,
which escapes me just at the moment. But any
sufficiently adept 5GU sorcerer would grow adept at
it.
Jean LambThey can
be hospice workers for the yellowjackets in my
yard, too. Aug 22,
2019 02:51PM ·
flag
Norine
LukerThey can
zap the ganoderma just on my oak tree. The trick
is to keep the moral accounting on a local scale.
No one is benefiting from that fungus on mThey can zap the ganoderma just on
my oak tree. The trick is to keep the moral
accounting on a local scale. No one is benefiting
from that fungus on my tree, no matter what it
does elsewhere....more Aug 28,
2019 06:42AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I am mostly retired from the convention circuit these
days, so any rare travel and appearance announcements
will be posted on my blog. (Such as the recent very
local booksigning at Uncle Hugo's.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
wasn't going to name anything else after that schmuck
Prince Serg. If Cordelia'd had her way, she'd have
renamed the planet; that may yet happen. I can see
Gregor doing so posthumously-to-her -- Cordeliyar?
Aralyar? Alas that a place name used so often should be
short and pronounceable.
Place-name titles tend to happen when I can't come up
with something better, so "Sergyar" is definitely not
being saved for anything.
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, Betan boffins are that far
ahead (not least because of free flow of information
among each other), but yes, even Betans manage to keep
military secrets for a while. If a new system goes
public you can be sure there's a better one now
developing in the wings.
Lois McMaster
BujoldA
combination. The social aspects of religion, how humans
use religion to organize themselves to carry out
various social functions, are pulled from a lifetime of
observation and reading; the mystical likewise from
readings across several real-world religions. The
underlying theo... call it theography, I made up
myself, and is very contrary to most real-world
religions.
The gods of Chalion are not, and are generally
understood not to be creator-gods, but evolved and
evolving from matter that came first. They are not
deities people can give bribes to in the form of
sacrifices for material-world favors, or to punish
people one does not like either before or after death,
both early motivations for religious beliefs. (Although
I'm sure some people, being people, try anyway.) They
are however about a non-material afterlife, although
not one that is easy to understand or describe. "Union
with god" is meant rather literally, here.
SeanApart from
the Quadrene interpretation of things, I find the
religion idyllic in many ways, but also easy to
imagine the trappings and hierarchy of thApart from the Quadrene
interpretation of things, I find the religion
idyllic in many ways, but also easy to imagine
the trappings and hierarchy of the church and
it's various orders. Beautifully done....more Aug 21,
2019 05:19AM ·
flag
One of my notions for these e-novellas was that they
should be ala carte, open-ended, not bolted to any
particular series template. So I don't exactly have
plans, more like possibilities. Penric has that
invaluable character trait of being good for several
different kinds of tales, so I shouldn't have to repeat
myself any time soon. (Although one of the interesting
things an writer can do in a series is revisit themes
for a different slice on them, which I don't rule
out.)
Katrine
CadyI
absolutely LOVE your Pen & Des stories. May the
possibilities of their adventures tickle creative
sparks in you always. Aug 27,
2019 01:05PM ·
flag
ScottI'm a big
fan of Pen & Des as well. The extra dimension to
the internal monologue is so fascinating and the
characters are so much fun that I don't exI'm a big fan of Pen & Des as
well. The extra dimension to the internal
monologue is so fascinating and the characters
are so much fun that I don't expect to ever be
tired of whatever you choose to write. Looking
forward to more as they come to you!...more Aug 29,
2019 10:45AM ·
flag
MargaretUnfortunately,
U.S. politics is a banned subject on the Bujold
mailing list. Too much like real life,
indeed... Aug 29,
2019 08:39AM ·
flag
Shane
CastleYes, I
deserved a whack from the ruler for that. I won't
do that again.Yes, I deserved a whack from the
ruler for that. I won't do that again....more Aug 29,
2019 04:04PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Glad you have found and are enjoying my work! (This
sounds like a recent discovery -- good.) The audiobooks
really seem to be getting around.
Ashleigh
MatternI LOVE
Grover Gardener's reading of the books in the
Vorkosigan saga!I LOVE Grover Gardener's reading
of the books in the Vorkosigan saga!...more Aug 29,
2019 08:36PM
Fraser
TurnerI have to
agree with Scott and Ashleigh!
It's amazing how much a good voice actor makes a
difference. I've now listened to all except for
"Gentleman JoI have to agree with Scott and
Ashleigh!
It's amazing how much a good voice actor makes a
difference. I've now listened to all except for
"Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen," many of them
twice! They've made my commute something to look
forward to :)
Now that we're in our permanent home I'm going to
be building my SF library slowly but surely (with
the intention of introducing my kids to my
favourite authors as they get older). The
Vorkosigan Saga is definitely going to be
highlighted!
Thanks for the wonderful and varied stories, and
the mature/complex themes with all those shades
of grey :)...more Nov 23,
2019 08:16AM
Though I would point out, all series works are
"sequels" by definition. So it would be more rare,
unusual, and fresh for me to write something that
wasn't.
Ann PerroneI'd like
to see what happens to Gregor's and Laisa's kids
when the enviable peace of Gregor's reign gets
shattered. I'd love to have a short story
aboI'd like to see what happens to
Gregor's and Laisa's kids when the enviable peace
of Gregor's reign gets shattered. I'd love to
have a short story about Nikolai Vorsoisson's
adventures. How does Aral Alexander struggle with
the impressive legacy of his progenitors? How
about Helen Natalia stepping up as Countess
Vorkosigan in fact rather than in name?...more Sep 11,
2019 08:32AM ·
flag
SoftnessThe
sequel to the universe. Dec 14,
2019 06:44AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldNo,
not really. Go to your Author Dashboard and check out
the tutorial -- https://www.goodreads.com/author/how_to
-- and then maybe try some discussion groups. Also,
just explore, poke around and look at stuff, maybe
starting with the GR homepage.
Elizabeth
McCoyAs my
offspring says often: VALID. Sep 02,
2019 10:29AM
SoftnessIf they
are able to ask a question on here, I'd say
they're doing pretty well so far. lolIf they are able to ask a question
on here, I'd say they're doing pretty well so
far. lol...more Dec 14,
2019 06:44AM
This
question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I recently bought an apparently
unpublished cover titled Barrayar, by Mark Salwoski.
According to him "the artwork was done in the UK in the
early 90’s". I wonder if this painting could have been
for another of your books. It doesn't really fit
"Barrayar" and would be more appropriate for "The
Warrior's Apprentice" or "The VorGame". Had you seen it
?
https://www.comicartfans.com/galleryp...(hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldNo,
I'd not seen it before, and don't know anything about
its provenance or history. It wasn't used on any of my
published works that I know of.
Judy R.That's,
to me, a better cover for "The Warrior's
Apprentice" than the one published. Wonder if the
reason it wasn't chosen was that it had been
misfilThat's, to me, a better cover for
"The Warrior's Apprentice" than the one
published. Wonder if the reason it wasn't chosen
was that it had been misfiled at the
publisher's....more Sep 05,
2019 08:46AM ·
flag
That said, a lot more attention in writing advice seems
to be devoted to beginnings. My own stubborn tendency
to finish almost everything I start has resulted in me
writing almost as many endings as beginnings, so the
practice effect has had a chance to cut in.
Your question as written also brings up the question,
"Ending to what?", since each story's needs in that
department will be a little or a lot different from
every other, depending on what has gone before. See:
Pat's links.
Lois McMaster
BujoldIt
may be too global to be dubbed a "technique", since I
don't think it's detachable from my whole writing
process. For the viewpoint characters, it certainly
involves mentally walking into their skins and bones,
wrapping their lives and worlds around me, and looking
out through their eyes as best as I can. For the
non-viewpoint-characters, I suppose it has something to
do with recognizing each is an independent actor in
their own life, a kind of lite version of the
foregoing. A form of virtual literary method acting,
perhaps.
Pat, as always, has more wide-ranging things to say.
https://www.pcwrede.com/complicated-s... ferex. A
search on "characters" or "characterization" over there
should produce more.
CarroThere are
also people who deliberately learn received
pronunciation, whether from BBC radio announcers
or go to classes, who started life speaking
inThere are also people who
deliberately learn received pronunciation,
whether from BBC radio announcers or go to
classes, who started life speaking in a regional
accent....more Sep 12,
2019 04:09AM ·
flag
Marti
DolataNot to
mention code switchers who change their accent
according to their company. I did something
similar when I lived in England. I participated
in tNot to mention code switchers who
change their accent according to their company. I
did something similar when I lived in England. I
participated in the Sealed Knot, an English Civil
War re-enactment group-think cavaliers and
Roundheads. In order not to blow the 17th century
ambiance, I would use my Elizabethan accent,
honed from many years doing the original
Renaissance Faire. People placed me as being
Cornish....more Sep 15,
2019 08:24AM ·
flag
DennisGive a man
a fire and you keep him warm for a day. *Light* a
man on fire and you keep him warm for the rest of
his life.
-T. Pratchett Sep 12,
2019 06:32AM
ScottI think
Dennis wins this one... or at least Dennis and
Master Terry. Sep 12,
2019 03:46PM
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, if I'm not having any fun
writing something, I can't write it at all. (Nor, at
this stage of my life, have I any need to.) So anything
that appears you may assume I wanted to do.
(That said, no such extended project is ever fun all
the time, but the balance, at least, needs to be
intrinsically rewarding.)
ScottI'm
actually very glad to hear that for the same
reason as Steven. I'm also sure that we're
nowhere near alone.I'm actually very glad to hear
that for the same reason as Steven. I'm also sure
that we're nowhere near alone....more Sep 12,
2019 03:48PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nope. The first I usually hear is when it pops up on
the downpour.com website. (It's not there yet as of
9/8/19.) I would expect a minimum production time of 4
months from the time we signed the contract (August),
maybe six, so... midwinter...?
Lois McMaster
BujoldAs
usual, I have no idea what I might write next (nor,
being semi-retired, when.) Nothing is promised, nothing
is ruled out. Though right now I'm due for a long
random-input-break.
Glad you liked Nikys! I did, too. (And so, of course,
did Pen & Des.) Though I expect her adventures for the
next few years are going to be domestic, very absorbing
to the principals but not so much to fantasy
readers.
Lois BujoldI've been
getting a string of these subliterate junk
questions, and am still not sure if they're just
some sort of random spam, or someone really
struI've been getting a string of
these subliterate junk questions, and am still
not sure if they're just some sort of random
spam, or someone really struggling with English.
I'm erring on the side of charity for the moment,
but if I get too many I'll probably give up and
just start tossing them into the "skip" bin.
KarenhuntI clicked
on the person - they're listed as reading a
junior high school kid's book. I think they are
either new/young or maybe trying out English
byI clicked on the person -
they're listed as reading a junior high school
kid's book. I think they are either new/young or
maybe trying out English by reading kids'
books.
I will note: I have cause to be very grateful for
your default to kindness. I understand tossing
the questions if this gets out of hand, but I
will say: Back in late 2014 when it really
mattered and not many people were inclined to do
so, you were kind....more Sep 16,
2019 05:00AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldGeneral and historical reading,
certainly. But Shakespeare, mainly, I think. I used to
belong to a play-reading group back in the 90s, and we
went through a lot of his plays. The cadences worm into
your brain.
I also pay attention to what turns of phrase or
metaphors don't belong, perhaps because that technology
or theory does not exist in the world of my tale.
Though the absence of some literary toe-stub
tends not to be noticed. I can't be too strict about
it, though, because so many words have become common
coin. The 5GU or the world of the Sharing Knife never
had the theory of the four humours, for example, but
"sanguine" or "melancholy" are still useful words.
Gard EvyrInteresting,
thanks! Big example of what I meant is things
like using the word "Ok!" in dialogue in medieval
fantasy and other modern conversational iInteresting, thanks! Big example
of what I meant is things like using the word
"Ok!" in dialogue in medieval fantasy and other
modern conversational idiom / colloquialisms. I
guess it's time for me to dust off some
Shakespeare...more Sep 14,
2019 09:50AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
That's a question you'd have to ask Blackstone
Audiobooks. I wouldn't think so, however, since they
already have a working edition. About the only time one
gets new narrators is if one switches publishers, not
in my plans. Blackstone has been pretty good to me for
quite a while.
Lois McMaster
BujoldAny
new-book sale is a good one, including audio downloads
and publishers' websites. Whatever is most convenient
to the reader is fine. That said, my self-pubbed ebooks
on Kindle, Nook, and iBooks give the most, and most
immediate, %$ pass-through to me.
ScottThis is
great information. How can we distinguish self
pub from external published? I'm guessing we're
looking at Penric vs. the rest?This is great information. How can
we distinguish self pub from external published?
I'm guessing we're looking at Penric vs. the
rest?...more Sep 19,
2019 10:11AM
Lois BujoldAnything
listed as through Spectrum Literary Agency is my
self-e-pubbed. For US publication, this includes
pretty much all the separate novellas and
aAnything listed as through
Spectrum Literary Agency is my self-e-pubbed. For
US publication, this includes pretty much all the
separate novellas and all my older VK ebooks, to
which I got e-rights back in 2012. For UK and
World, it includes pretty much everything,
including all the fantasy novels.
ScottVery Cool!
Thanks Lois! Looks like I'll be making sure I
re-purchase the VK series even if I have the
omnibus editions and "the disc".Very Cool! Thanks Lois! Looks like
I'll be making sure I re-purchase the VK series
even if I have the omnibus editions and "the
disc"....more Sep 19,
2019 11:25AM
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
don't need one; my income stream and retirement savings
are sufficient to support me. My present preference is
to finish any work before trotting it out in public
anywhere, in any publication form. To the greatest
extent possible, my goal is to own my own time.
Diane K.
KovacsI'm very
glad to read this. :) Enjoy your life. I wish I
could write well enough to tell the stories I'd
like to read. Thank you for answering me.I'm very glad to read this. :)
Enjoy your life. I wish I could write well enough
to tell the stories I'd like to read. Thank you
for answering me....more Sep 20,
2019 10:47PM
(For general information, the surname is actually
Bujold, so books should be filed under "B". I'm not
sure this always happens. Years ago, when I was
tracking down the Judge Dee mysteries of Robert Van
Gulik, some libraries had them under "V", some under
"G", and some, both...)
Judy R.Back
in the 1990s, I was in Edinboro, and was charmed
to see that a bookstore had your books filed
under McMaster -- of COURSE the Scots, "wha
hey!"Back in the 1990s, I was in
Edinboro, and was charmed to see that a bookstore
had your books filed under McMaster -- of COURSE
the Scots, "wha hey!"...more Oct 10,
2019 11:30AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreySpanish
surnames come in pairs, the father’s surname
followed by the mother’s. The father’s surname is
primary and persists down the generations, so
ISpanish surnames come in
pairs, the father’s surname followed by the
mother’s. The father’s surname is primary and
persists down the generations, so I suppose it
would come naturally to a Spanish librarian to
shelve your books under McMaster, interpreting it
as your father’s (primary) surname. Spanish
married women normally retain their original
surnames, not adopting the husband’s....more Apr 12,
2023 02:22AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldEach publisher buys their own
covers from the artists. So there won't be any swapping
around of art on the assorted editions in this case,
as, from Subterranean to Baen. (Blackstone Audiobooks
sometimes rebuys cover art for their editions, though,
if sometimes not.)
I would expect Baen would use the same art on their
ensuing paperback editions as on their hardcovers
coming out in 2020.
SusanI don't
care what's on the covers - I just want the
Penric books on paper to add to my shelf! (I
already have the ebooks.)I don't care what's on the covers
- I just want the Penric books on paper to add to
my shelf! (I already have the ebooks.)...more Sep 26,
2019 08:04PM
So the question is probably harder to answer than you'd
think.
Among the early Baen covers, the original cover for
Memory stood out, possibly because I'm partial
to blue. Paladin of Souls was perhaps the best
from HarperCollins. The upcoming one for the
Subterranean edition of "Knife Children", which no one
has yet seen, is an unusually fine character portrayal.
The Japanese covers have their own style, well worth
taking a look at. And so on; see links above.
Lois McMaster
BujoldEr,
what about a self-publishing house? You will
have to rephrase and contextualize your question for me
to get what you are asking me, here.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThis is an interesting problem
that is part of the technological changes of our times.
In the old paper-only world, book sales to libraries
were self-limiting -- after a certain amount of use,
books wore out, and needed to be replaced or discarded.
They were not available in unlimited quantities free
forever to compete with actual book sales, upon which
not only publishers but authors live.
Attempts to fit ebooks into this old economic model
have been awkward. One mode is to limit the number of
checkouts per purchase to something approximating the
average life of a paper book. Another, mentioned in the
article, is to up the price to the libraries to
partially compensate. One I would actually favor, which
I understand is used in some other countries, is to
charge the library some small sum per checkout.
Overhauling the multitude of scattered and independent
library systems to e-report same to the multitude of
publishing entities is obviously do-able, but
difficult; some central money clearing-house might need
to be devised (and paid for, siphoning off yet more
between reader/purchaser and author, sigh.) Amazon
manages somehow, but they have a better budget and are
under a single roof.
I am, increasingly, an ebook user from my local
library, as my eyes don't play well with print on paper
anymore. (My tablet turns every ebook into an instant
large-print book.) So I find myself on both sides of
the debate, wanting more to be available to me as a
reader, and wanting to actually be, y'know, paid
for my work as a writer. The current system, or rather,
mess of competing systems, isn't really satisfactory
for anyone.
Kate
DavenportI also
like the model of charging the library a small
fee per checkout best. Personally I am a hard
core library user with rarely less that 4
libraryI also like the model of charging
the library a small fee per checkout best.
Personally I am a hard core library user with
rarely less that 4 library items in my possession
at any one time. For fiction I only buy the books
of authors I enjoy enough to reread (of which
Lois is one) and I will go back and buy all of a
series I've already read, just to have them.
Those are also the authors who produce the only
fiction books I buy unread. But I'd be happy to
pay a small fee for a book I will only read
once.
We live in interesting times. More and more
musicians are self producing and self promoting,
TV shows and writers seem to be going the same
way, gaining enough popularity in spaces like
Amazon, Patreon, and Youtube that they get picked
up by a network or publisher. It seems that the
well established venues like publishers and TV
networks are scrambling to milk the old model for
everything they can when they should be working
to create a value added service to the people
they work with and for. Change is hard but
fascinating. BTW, just as a side note deciding
that even a paperback is time limited isn't fair.
I try to be careful with my books. Some of my
Georgette Heyer's are 30+ years old and I still
reread them, although I do plan on replacing them
with digital copies, when I get organized....more Oct 12,
2019 09:11AM ·
flag
John
Prigent``I don't
go to the library for my ebooks - and I have a
lot of them I BUY them instead. I have to use
ebooks, because I can't walk far enough to
get``I don't go to the library
for my ebooks - and I have a lot of them I BUY
them instead. I have to use ebooks, because I
can't walk far enough to get at paper
ones....more Oct 15,
2019 04:57AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
answer varies with the type of book and publisher and
the terms of the individual contracts. Typically, the
author will be due royalties, i.e., a percent of the
cover price of each book sold retail, in the
neighborhood of anything from 2% (in the more abusive
practices of some romance and academic publishers) to
6-8-10% per paperback sale, to 15% for hardcovers after
a certain sales break-point. You can do the arithmetic,
but that translates to a range between $.48 for an $8
paperback to $3.75 for a $25 hardcover of the
purchaser's money going to the author. (As one can see,
a writer needs to sell a pile of paperbacks to
make a living.)
(As a side note, the rest does not all go to the
publishers, who sell books to vendors at discounts of
up to 50%. The difference between wholesale and retail
is what the bookstores live on. The waste in the system
would take a whole 'nother essay, but look up
"remainders.")
An advance is money paid up front to the writer as a
debt against future royalties. The author's share when
the book is finally put on sale goes first to paying
back the advance, at which point the book is said to
have "earned out" and twice-yearly-accounted royalties
start flowing to the writer. There is a lot of
mythology surrounding the size of advances, but I think
of it as money earned by my future self being paid to
my current self. The publishers assume some risk in
this regard, since they have to eat the difference if
the advance does not earn out -- it is
non-returnable.
Ebooks are even more wildly varied. It is important to
note that entities such as iBooks, Amazon, and B&N
are vendors, not publishers. Per unit sale,
Amazon ferex keeps 30% of sales priced over a certain
break point -- I don't remember offhand if it was $1.99
or $2.99 -- passing 70% through to the author or
publisher, and keeps 65% for sales under the break
point, passing 35% through to the originator. They pay
monthly. If a book is indie published, this goes
directly to the writer, after an initial 3-month
delay.
If an ebook is published through one's paper publisher,
the publisher passes 25% - 50% of their e-receipts
through to the author as royalty, so the author gets
50% of 70% = 35% of each ebook sale, accounted
quarterly or half-yearly. The publisher potentially
does a hella lot of work for the writer and their book
to earn this, so most writers I know regard the 50%
split as fair.
Terms for ebooks sold directly through publishers'
websites or other venues will vary with the
publisher.
Ta, L.
(The other crucial factor for non-indie writers that
has changed with the arrival of ebooks is contractual
term-of-license, but that, too, would take another
essay.)
Pam
MclaughlinThat would
explain your comment at a Capricon some years
ago, when you were the guest of honor. I came up
to the table, with my stack for books for
auThat would explain your
comment at a Capricon some years ago, when you
were the guest of honor. I came up to the table,
with my stack for books for autographing, and you
said, "Bless you. You buy my books in
hardcover."...more Dec 13,
2019 02:20PM
Next, in this day of the internet, go to the
publisher's website appropriate to your work and look
for their particular submission guidelines and
directions. Follow same. Prepare to wait a long
time.
There are lots of writers' groups and other help online
these days. I can't say much about them because I am
not plugged into them myself; commenters below may have
some more current tips. But a good place to start for
level-headed advice is http://www.pcwrede.com/blog/
Begin at the beginning, read all the posts, and then,
if any question is still unanswered, you can float it.
(Do read first, so you won't be asking a question
that's been answered eight times already.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yep, that's been mentioned several times below in this
column, if that's the right name for this Q&A
feature, in the wake of whatever pop sci article that's
making the rounds in a given month. In any case, it's
good that researchers are thinking outside the
box...
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I'm trying to find the name of a book
about a teenage girl that loses her family to demons she
has a miscarriage and they're in a house surrounded by
woods.. p.s. my first time using this site... Can you
help me figure out the name? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not a clue, sorry. Someone in the comments section
below may have a suggestion of where to go for such
help; I know there are sites devoted to such readerly
puzzles out there.
Colin
DijkgraafThere is
also https://scifi.stackexchange.com/
But in either case, you might want to post more
details. e.g. How long ago did you read it. What
languaThere is also https://scifi.stackexchange.com/
But in either case, you might want to post more
details. e.g. How long ago did you read it. What
language was it in. Do you remember any character
names?...more Oct 15,
2019 05:40PM ·
flag
Judy R.Details
are not exact, but perhaps you are referring to
"Beguilement" in the Sharing Knife series by
Lois?Details are not exact, but perhaps
you are referring to "Beguilement" in the Sharing
Knife series by Lois?...more Oct 17,
2019 11:27AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
started boringly, waiting to be taught how to read in
first grade. About second grade, I discovered I was
allowed to read any book in the school library,
not just the thin picture books laid out for my class
during library period, and my reading level shot
up.
The number of books I read in a year has varied wildly
over the course of my life; lots back in my school days
and my early working years, less once kids and my
career arrived. Lately my reading time is limited by
annoying eye issues, hence my recent turn to manga,
ebooks, anime, and Great Courses DVDs. You can see the
YA and manga I've reviewed (which is not all I've read,
nor the anime I've consumed) on my My Books section --
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
I'm not sure what your reading level is in English, nor
what kind of access you have to them where you are,
though if you have access to Amazon, it's lots. Readers
in the comments section might chime in with their
favorite YA. (Probably not the depressing ones, if the
OP is trying to boot up a desire to read more.)
Patricia C. Wrede's books are marketed as YA, and are a
lot of fun. You might try her 4-book series The
Enchanted Forest Chronicles. T. Kingfisher (who
writes kids' books as Ursula Vernon) is also fun.
I don't think I have a favorite book -- it's
varied over the years. Much-reread books/authors in the
past have included Tolkien and Georgette Heyer, though
I'm mainly moving on to other explorations now.
Marti
DolataI
recommend to Lois as well as Liesel,
'The Forgotten Beasts of Eld', by Patricia
McKillip. A favorite.I recommend to Lois as well as
Liesel,
'The Forgotten Beasts of Eld', by Patricia
McKillip. A favorite....more Oct 27,
2019 04:43PM ·
flag
SusanI concur
with your rec of Enchanted Forest Chronicles. I
love to reread them! Jun 21,
2020 12:17AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
read the first O'Brian; possibly I did not get far
enough into the series to collect the rewards of
character development. I read the Hornblower books in
my youth. I've heard of but not read the Helprin. (My
reading is way down these days due to eye issues, but
I'm finding ways around.)
KurtI stopped
after Master and Commander as well. I'll probably
give the series another try some day, but I just
didn't get that interested in it at the tI stopped after Master and
Commander as well. I'll probably give the series
another try some day, but I just didn't get that
interested in it at the time. Hornblower is a
definite favorite, but I also really enjoyed
Dudley Pope's Ramage series and the earlier books
in Alexander Kent's Bolitho series....more Oct 19,
2019 06:56PM ·
flag
Sybal
JanssenVariety
is the spice of life; haven’t run into the Ramage
series. I am going to give a try as a relief from
wading through a non-fiction on blockchainVariety is the spice of life;
haven’t run into the Ramage series. I am going to
give a try as a relief from wading through a
non-fiction on blockchain. By the way I am
becoming a WWI fanatic: have you runs across any
naval novels set during that time period?...more Oct 19,
2019 07:04PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldIt
will have an about-two-thousand word intro from me,
yes. (Some of which consists of me saying, "Go read the
book first, then come back!" Possibly I should have
just made it an afterword...)
MarilynOkay, I'm
good with that. I have read most of your essays
on process. I asked because recently another
favorite author dropped two new stories into
anOkay, I'm good with that. I
have read most of your essays on process. I asked
because recently another favorite author dropped
two new stories into an anthology of previously
published works, all of which I had purchased
individually. I'm still a bit chapped by
that....more Oct 31,
2019 02:40PM ·
flag
Lois BujoldMm, but
such an addition is a boon for new readers. It's
really not possible, from the publisher's side,
to fine-tune a collection by which stories
thMm, but such an addition is
a boon for new readers. It's really not possible,
from the publisher's side, to fine-tune a
collection by which stories this or that reader
might or might not have read before.
(Once can do so with e-tales sold ala carte, but
that bears its own set of downsides.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
"Decide" makes it sound like a more conscious process
than it is. Imaginative streams of daydreams of bits
about any or all of the characters can run through my
head, if my head is in that mode. (Most of which aren't
useful or consistent, cutting-room floor stuff.) One
set may have more psychological resonance for me, will
be more interesting. I'll start to think more
about it, and an accretion of thoughts may eventually
hit some critical mass that would promise to support an
actual writable story. I may start making penciled
notes at that stage, but at least half of those few
also get discarded in favor of something I eventually
like better.
MargaretI
remember you saying that Ivan in particular
strenuously resisted being made a protagonist for
years. I believe "hiding under the bed" may have
beenI remember you saying that Ivan in
particular strenuously resisted being made a
protagonist for years. I believe "hiding under
the bed" may have been mentioned......more Oct 31,
2019 07:46AM ·
flag
Adger
WilliamsMargaret,
I think Ivan's "hiding under the bed" is evidence
that there was something there of interest that
just hadn't coalesced yet. Armsman EszterhMargaret, I think Ivan's "hiding
under the bed" is evidence that there was
something there of interest that just hadn't
coalesced yet. Armsman Eszterhazy isn't hiding
under the bed, because we don't know enough about
him to want to pull him out of his
obscurity....more Nov 04,
2019 04:33AM ·
flag
CatBookMomGlad to
know you had a "nice birthday weekend trip." Have
been re-listening (n-th time!) to *Memory* and
*Komarr*, two of my favorites.Glad to know you had a "nice
birthday weekend trip." Have been re-listening
(n-th time!) to *Memory* and *Komarr*, two of my
favorites....more Nov 08,
2019 12:33PM ·
flag
SteveI saw
this many years ago and it was fascinating
indeed. Impressive both from an artistic
standpoint and from the impressive organization
required toI saw this many years ago and it
was fascinating indeed. Impressive both from an
artistic standpoint and from the impressive
organization required to do it all in one take --
because the government would only let them use it
for one night. See it on the biggest screen you
have....more Nov 12,
2019 03:23PM ·
flag
Diana
SandbergIf anyone
is interested, It is rather amazing and is
available on YouTube. Can't post the link here,
but it's findable as Russian Ark (2002) FULL
MOVIIf anyone is interested, It is
rather amazing and is available on YouTube. Can't
post the link here, but it's findable as Russian
Ark (2002) FULL MOVIE HD...more Jan 22,
2024 12:28PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThis question is answered at
length in Sidelines: Talks and Essays
https://www.amazon.com/Sidelines-Essa... (also on
Nook and iBooks), in an essay titled "My First Novel".
I see I wrote it in 1990, which means I was remembering
events way better than I would if I attempted to retype
it all out today, nearly 3 decades later.
Ta, L.
...Goodness, that edition might could use a little
tidying. I haven't looked at it for ages. The context
notes seem to fall at the ends of prior essays, not at
the start of the next as they should. Well, we'll see
how bored I get this winter.
JerriIf you
have time to spare, more stories of what appeals
to you would be welcome. Always room for another
Penric tale, or whatever appeals. I feel
sureIf you have time to spare, more
stories of what appeals to you would be welcome.
Always room for another Penric tale, or whatever
appeals. I feel sure we can figure out Sidelines:
Talks and Essays. It has been some years since I
read it, but I remember enjoying it....more Nov 07,
2019 06:36AM ·
flag
I can't tell if you would like it, because every reader
is different, but I can say the hero in this novella is
a grownup, with grownup-level problems, which include
looking out for other people.
It's fine to start here -- the story stands alone --
although there is a beginning to the arc, featuring a
younger Penric, "Penric's Demon", that tells how his
string of adventures first got started.
If you do read it/them, do report back and tell us
how/if you enjoyed them.
After that, the autonomy, though allowing that one must
do things like make deadlines. Or turn in the final
work before one runs out of money, whichever happens
first.
It also gives me an excuse to be interested in
everything or anything, most writers having magpie
minds.
It also brings one interesting friends and colleagues.
Also, a manageable amount of attention, always
gratifying. (Well, when it's positive.)
And so on, but all those aspects are near the top.
Sea Bunny
VoyagerStaying
home is on my good list, it is -1F outside and I
don't want to start my truck and go to
work!Staying home is on my good list,
it is -1F outside and I don't want to start my
truck and go to work!...more Nov 16,
2019 06:01AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldBriefly, to your first question,
there are so many conflicting definitions of feminism
out there that the question is impossible to answer
unless you closely define the term.
To the second, equally briefly, No, especially if you
consider the whole planet and not just selected
bits.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Authors are in it for the money, too, or else they have
to stop writing and get another job. Or become
destitute in their old age, not uncommon, or medically
destitute at any time. (Not me -- I've planned ahead,
and also been very, very lucky.)
The thing about e-books is that they don't wear out, so
placing one in a library without restrictions is
tantamount to giving it away for free forever. The
money has to come from somewhere, or everyone goes out
of business. In the US, libraries are supported by
property taxes in their respective communities, and you
know how much everyone loves to pay taxes.
I personally would be in favor of a
charge-per-e-checkout model, but the complexities of
getting such in place are large, especially in the US
with its diverse and independent libraries and
publishers.
Ta, L.
(If you do the arithmetic in your example, $55 barely
replaces 4 lost e-book sales. A popular title may have
dozens or even hundreds of checkouts. How does this
compare with libraries buying 4 paper copies of a hot
title, and then discarding 3 of them when the demand
wears off or the books wear out? These problems are
more complex than they appear at first glance.)
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Is it O.K. (a good idea) for me to give
my main characters in my dystopian novel nick names that
reflect each character's personality. Grumpy Gill, Hot
Head Pete, etc.? (these are not the actual names I've
chosen.) only samples.
Response would be greatly appreciated. Please help me
from making a mess of it. Thanks. Mike Lee (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
If it felt right to you, you wouldn't be asking, so
probably not.
Mike LeeThanks, for
your feedback, That is where I was leaning, but
I'll try anything to make the story
better.Thanks, for your feedback, That is
where I was leaning, but I'll try anything to
make the story better....more Nov 21,
2019 12:23PM ·
flag
If the latter, I see if you scroll down my profile
page, GR puts my titles in order by number of reader
rankings (and some other factors):
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Which
ought to be a reasonably good proxy.
Tea73I think
publication order works best for most series for
the first pass through. Nov 22,
2019 08:19PM
SteveActually,
GoodReads does not automatically put your books
in order by reader ranking. It looks like the
default is "reader popularity" -- which
meansActually, GoodReads does not
automatically put your books in order by reader
ranking. It looks like the default is "reader
popularity" -- which means the number of
individual ratings. If you click on "122 distinct
works", the resulting list can be sorted by
several options: title, popularity, average
rating, pub date, and (oddly), number of
pages....more Nov 26,
2019 08:34AM
Lois McMaster
BujoldNo
idea. But if you add in all the ones who originated in
the (broader) Midwest and moved elsewhere -- Poul
Anderson, Heinlein, and Harlan Ellison, to name 3 off
the top of my head -- it's been going on for a while.
Not to mention Gordy Dickson or Clifford Simak, who
stayed.
Someone (not me) would have to do an actual regional
count of SF writers, calibrate for population density,
and compare, to discover if this is an actual thing, or
just an effect of expectations of a low density being
surprised by an average one.
That said, there were and are a synergistic groups of
writers in the Twin Cities in several genres who
stimulate each other, but, again, you'd have to compare
us with other cities of similar size to see what's
really going on.
(I'm actually from Ohio, moved here in '95, but still
certainly from the Midwest.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldAs
for how I come up with books, I could talk about how I
write, though not in this tiny answer box --
Sidelines: Talks and Essays and The
Vorkosigan Companion, plus some of my interviews,
https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Au...
go into my process at length. Also more if you scroll
back to earlier in this Q&A column. (This column
could really use a search function. Anyone with more
energy this morning than me is welcome to throw in some
links to earlier answers on the topic in the
comments.)
"Great" is a reader's judgment of their reading
experience, which is different for every reader-book
combination. So even if you just limited your survey to
people who liked my books, the array of reasons and
reactions are bewilderingly varied, as any cruise
through my reader reviews here on GR or Amazon will
show. (Plus some people who had a great reading may not
be articulate about why -- commercial fiction read for
pleasure does not normally come with a quiz next
period.) So that half of your question is the one the
writer is least able to answer.
SusanI have all
of your books, and they are the ones I reread
most often. (Followed closely by Terry
Pratchett!) Being rereadable is a 'great' book in
my vI have all of your books, and they
are the ones I reread most often. (Followed
closely by Terry Pratchett!) Being rereadable is
a 'great' book in my vocabulary....more Dec 12,
2019 07:47PM ·
flag
It's among the most level-headed writing advice on the
net.
My own how-I-got-published experiences are now 35 years
out of date for the modern market, so mainly of
historical interest. But the very short version is that
one learns how to write by actually writing -- and then
learning to self-edit. The latter, happily, is more
teachable.
Laer
CarrollREAD MUCH
/ WRITE MUCH is Steven King's advice. Reading
teaches us without our trying myriad lessons. So
does writing & fixing our errors. That's
whatREAD MUCH / WRITE MUCH is Steven
King's advice. Reading teaches us without our
trying myriad lessons. So does writing & fixing
our errors. That's what I did & I now make a
living at writing....more Dec 12,
2019 07:31AM ·
flag
It's a career honor, in essence. Which is kind of
recursive, being in some sense an award for winning
awards, but there you go. I think the equivalent on the
fan-or-reader side is probably being invited to be the
Worldcon writer guest-of-honor. In any case, all
good.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, I don't think so. NESFA's original motive was to
put in hardcover the batch of my early works that had
only appeared as original paperbacks. The first eight
titles, if I'm counting right. After that Baen began
issuing them as commercial hardcovers first, so there
was no need.
Unified, complete series reprint editions are a
small-demand market (where small = microscopic), and
with reason. I remain bemused that the very first fan
comment on my announcement of our (somewhat
experimental) print-on-demand edition of The Spirit
Ring was someone helpfully chiming in to tell the
world that no one needed to buy it, used copies could
be had on-line for a fraction of the price. Which is
exactly why publishers are reluctant to do reprints of
backlist (old) books unless there is a hot new
frontlist release to boost interest. (Or a big media
adaptation, I suppose.)
ScottIt's
definitely a "Collectors Market" type of thing.
In fact, they're likely to do better with
boutique approaches (high quality paper, quality
coversIt's definitely a "Collectors
Market" type of thing. In fact, they're likely to
do better with boutique approaches (high quality
paper, quality covers, fresh forward or
afterward, etc.) for the hardcore collectors and
charge a mint margin on a small run. It would
take authors like yourself who have fans who've
been rabid for decades and will be willing to
save up $200 or more to have "the whole series in
one print style" to show off on their bookcase or
mantel.
PS: Went to look at NESFA Press' site and saw
that they prominently feature both Falling Free
on Shards as examples. Nice!...more Dec 12,
2019 11:07AM ·
flag
SusanI much
prefer to buy books I'm pretty sure I will like.
I have all of yours in hardcover, beginning with
the SFBC editions. I buy them as I read
them,I much prefer to buy books I'm
pretty sure I will like. I have all of yours in
hardcover, beginning with the SFBC editions. I
buy them as I read them, in order as they come
out (except for occasional forays rereading
special favorites.)...more Apr 20,
2023 08:28PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThanks! Yes, I'll be attending.
(And you see what it takes to get me... I was about to
say "on a plane," but planes are OK. It's the airports.
:-)
And, actually, age 70 seems just right to me for
this.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Actually, both of these questions can be answered by a
quick glance at my Author Profile page and the "My
Books" link on the header-bar to my recent book
reviews, right here on Goodreads.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
At the moment, My Bad Back, which I've been
wrestling with since August. When I finally decide I've
found the optimum coping methods, I will probably
return to creating publishable prose. Maybe.
Meanwhile, it hasn't been a bad few months for taking
in new material. How much of that will be useful later,
I never know till later.
While I am on the subject, my last name is pronounced
with a French, not a Spanish J. I can always tell when
someone is from the Southwest when they try to
pronounce it "Boo-hold". It's actually "Boo-jhold".
(I'm told my ex's family used to pronounce it
"Bee-jou", even more confusing.)
Mary BertkeWhat are
some examples of Japanese-made Europeanoid
fantasy place names that make you cringe, or
laugh, or boggle? Dec 15,
2019 08:42AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyIncidentally,
I now live in Spain, so I when I see the name
Betriz I automatically pronounce it Betreeth;
which again is probably not how you
imaginedIncidentally, I now live in Spain,
so I when I see the name Betriz I automatically
pronounce it Betreeth; which again is probably
not how you imagined it....more Dec 16,
2019 05:01AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Mm, not constricting. I've had decades of practice at
resisting other people's suggestions for what I should
write. And at least it shows they're
interested.
I notice my answers to that frequently asked question
are getting shorter and shorter, though.
More bemusing are the ones that come with suggested
outlines. Um, that's not how my process works,
folks...
Lois McMaster
Bujold(This refers back to this OP:
https://www.goodreads.com/questions/1... If
follow-ups aren't in the comments section, they risk
getting separated from their context when the Q&A
column gets presented in some other order than
chronological.)
I think the fan pleas are more in the nature of a
wish-list.
Re: publishers, you have to learn to read
publisher-speak. What they are really saying is that
they want something that will sell as well or
better than whatever came before. Strict series work is
an economic security blanket for them. To be sure, they
presumably bought the earlier work because they liked
it and it seemed what they were looking for.
Tor editor Theresa Nielsen Hayden had a classic rant
from the editor's side about "writers as otters" on the
subject. Short version: when you try to train an otter
to do a trick, and reward it hoping for a repeat, the
otter doesn't think, "Great! She liked it! I'll do it
again!", but rather, "Great! She liked it! Now I'll do
something else that's even cooler!"
(Turning in something that sells better, or copping a
few major awards, mutes this sort of thing to muffled
editorial whimpers, but one can't count on that.)
My award-storage has moved around over the years. For a
while I kept my first Nebula on a shelf over my kitchen
sink, so I could enjoy it while washing dishes. (No
dishwasher in that old kitchen.) My old house had a
fireplace with three little stone shelves that stuck
out, which held three Hugos very nicely for a while. My
current place has some built-in cabinet-shelves in the
back of the living room that houses everything now.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Sort of. A quick-and-dirty method for making up a bunch
of names that sound as if they come from the same
place/language is to take a real-world map or other
name-source, chop the place names into syllables, and
reassemble them in whatever ways seem pleasing. It is
well to have some slight awareness that such names may
themselves be the product of several languages layered
in over time. (As in the Iberian peninsula.) I often,
when booting up ideas for a tale, generate a page or
two of possible names to do quick picks from so that I
don't get stalled for hours/days every time a new
person or place arrives on stage. I occasionally swap
names around, if I find I've made a non-optimum
assignment, and want the better, more fitting name to
go with something that appears more often.
I (and Foix) pronounce his name to rhyme with toy.
Other places on the map helped generate names in other
regions of the world of the five gods, some perhaps
less obvious than others. For the Weald, I tried to get
as many names as possible in standard English, to
subliminally indicate that these people have been on
their ground for a long time, with less "Torpenhowe
Hill" effect. (Which, if you don't know it, is a place
in England that back-translates "Hillhillhill
Hill".)
The problems of coming up with short, pronounceable
names, each different enough visually from every other
one used to be readily distinguishable, that aren't
accidentally an unfortunate word in another language
(or, indeed, one's own) are non-trivial.
Lois McMaster
BujoldYou
may, but there is a system that you have to find and go
through, which will cause your name to pop up under my
"Friends" icon, with an "accept - reject" button. I can
then friend you.
Can someone below please explain how to find and
activate this friend-request feature from the reader
end?
HeatherYou need
to click on Lois’s name, and this will take you
to her own Goodreads page. Once there you will
see two buttons: Follow, and Add Friend. You
cYou need to click on Lois’s
name, and this will take you to her own Goodreads
page. Once there you will see two buttons:
Follow, and Add Friend. You click can then on
either of them....more Dec 22,
2019 07:44AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Seniority, probably. No one took it away from him, and
he does have to supervise sorcerers. Or maybe
frugality. Really, one could fannishly devise many
possible reasons.
Lois McMaster
BujoldBarrayar's gravity is within
maybe 5% of Earth's, Komarr's enough less to notice. At
least if one is Barrayaran.
I would imagine most places with artificial gravity
would set it close to Earth-normal, for physiological
reasons, but really, anything is possible.
No, I haven't worked out a table of astrographic data
for every throw-away line I ever generated. If
conditions are enough different from standard for a
person to notice or to affect the plot, it might be
mentioned, otherwise not. (Or if a person is enough
different, I suppose.)
The 5GW has the Father's Day, on winter solstice, which
marks the official beginning of His quarter of the
year. So it's a somewhat more somber religious holiday
than the American winter Saturnalia honoring, as far as
I can tell, Mammon.
The Daughter's Day falls on the spring equinox, the
Mother's on summer solstice, the Son's on the autumn
equinox, and the Bastard's on whichever days are added
to make the year come out even for the shift of the
seasons with respect to days versus planetary orbits.
Usually but not universally the white god's day/s are
assigned to Mother's Midsummer, at the halfway mark
between summer solstice and autumn equinox. Plenty of
holidays for all!
LucyHappy New
Year to you, and thank you for setting these
holidays out so succinctly. But what do the
people who admit of only Four Gods do about the
extHappy New Year to you, and
thank you for setting these holidays out so
succinctly. But what do the people who admit of
only Four Gods do about the extra days? Do they
just sneak them in any old way? Or do they
consider them days of trial and tribulation
because of who they belong to?...more Jan 02,
2020 04:26PM ·
flag
Lois BujoldI
would imagine they are considered days of ill
luck, when you don't start new business, or
marry, or possibly venture out of the house. But
the exactI would imagine they are
considered days of ill luck, when you don't start
new business, or marry, or possibly venture out
of the house. But the exact superstitions would
vary by region.
Lois McMaster
BujoldLots of them mixed 'n matched
over the years. (I just typo'd "loots of them," which
is also true.) You'd have to specify if you want a
particular answer, which you may do in the comments.
(Although this question falls perilously close to
"Where do you get your ideas?")
Somewhere in Sidelines: Talks and Essays there
is iirc a series of six short essays I did for Eos back
when The Sharing Knife was coming out,
discussing the inspirations for that, mm, anti-epic,
which would have more length scope than what I can type
in this tiny answer box while drinking my morning
tea.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
try to balance my worlds' pros and cons. As I said once
in an interview, I don't write dystopias or utopias, I
just write topias. "Which Vorkosiverse world would you
want to live on?" is something of a sorting hat for
fans. Personally, I'd want Beta for the ultra-modern
medical care and mores, but I'd miss the out-of-doors
that Barrayar or Sergyar would provide. Sergyar (sorry
about its unfortunate name; Cordelia or Gregor may yet
fix that) will, in about another generation, probably
be my perfect balance.
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, keep in mind that
Shards was written in 1983, when the public
conversation around these issues was quite different.
But in general, I don't think violence against women
should be portrayed erotically. Given Rule 34, it
really is impossible for a writer to control how their
prose is read, though it's at least possible to control
how it is written.
My own views on the matter are more bio-evolutionary
than social (not that the latter isn't the costume the
that former wears.) Primate studies are most
interesting to me, because they actually provide a
control group for comparison. In primates,
non-reproductive mounting (and reproductive, for that
matter) a very clearly expressions of bio-social
dominance or would-be dominance, a statement of "I am
more important than you and this proves it!" (Obviously
especially urgent to someone who has internal doubts
about their status.) Extension to the highest primates
left as a mental exercise for the student.
The deepest work I've ever read on these issues, which
I recommend to everyone, is Nick Lane's Power, Sex,
Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... It's 14
years old now, which is, like, 98 bioscience-years at
the current pace, but much of it covers fundamental
aspects that have been well-established and aren't
likely to be changed.
Lois McMaster
Bujold"The Orphans of Raspay" is going
to have a lovely Subterranean Press edition later this
year, but it will be a while before it gets collected,
as I'd have to write a couple of sibling-stories to
go-with to make up market weight. Baen did such a nice
job on the book design, I rather hope so, just to get
another volume. Nothing in progress, Penric or
otherwise, at the moment, though.
MaryThe
Subterranean Press editions are beautiful and
worth the money. I have them all except for the
first one, so I will be buying Penric's Progess
justThe Subterranean Press editions
are beautiful and worth the money. I have them
all except for the first one, so I will be buying
Penric's Progess just to get the first story in
the series. I love paper books the best....more Jan 16,
2020 07:46AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldGoodreads does not sell or lend
books -- it is a book review and discussion site. You'd
have to go to a vendor, such as Kindle, Nook, iBooks,
or one of the others, or a library with e-lending, to
get the actual ebooks. The little cover thumbnails on
the assorted Goodreads pages are for illustration.
The exception would be if a blogger has a link up on
their profile page under "[Person's] Writing" -- all I
have under mine is my reading-order guide, though.
https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...
Lois McMaster
BujoldGoodreads does not sell or lend
books -- it is a book review and discussion site. You'd
have to go to a vendor, such as Kindle, Nook, iBooks,
or one of the others, or a library with e-lending, to
get the actual ebooks. The little cover thumbnails on
the assorted Goodreads pages are for illustration.
The exception would be if a blogger has a link up on
their profile page under "[Person's] Writing" -- all I
have under mine is my reading-order guide, though.
https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...
SoftnessIt wasn't
actually a question. It was an observation... But
thanks for the personal insight. I think I
would've been more confused if someone was on
GIt wasn't actually a
question. It was an observation... But thanks for
the personal insight. I think I would've been
more confused if someone was on Goodreads looking
to order groceries....more Sep 14,
2021 09:27AM ·
flag
BrzkConfused,
surprized or neither, these things happen. Giving
an earnest answer and keeping the condescending
tone for another occasion, as Lois has choConfused, surprized or neither,
these things happen. Giving an earnest answer and
keeping the condescending tone for another
occasion, as Lois has chosen to act, seem the
best course....more Sep 14,
2021 11:11AM ·
flag
My agent prefers to hold those rights in hopes of some
larger media contract that would want them (none of
which are on the horizon, I would note), so probably
would disrecommend the tinier publishers.
Fans can, of course, make up their own RPGs for
personal use -- that's normal fanac.
ChrisOwn GURPS
Vorkosigan. Would love an RPG of the Wo5G. Not
sure GURPS is the best system for it. But
anything is better than nothing, from this fan’s
peOwn GURPS Vorkosigan. Would
love an RPG of the Wo5G. Not sure GURPS is the
best system for it. But anything is better than
nothing, from this fan’s perspective....more Jan 19,
2020 08:00AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I am so not an expert on child-raising. I feel my own
survived despite not because of me, though it wasn't
for lack of trying. Two off-the-cuff thoughts are:
appropriately applauding creative efforts/attending
when they are shown off, and giving the kid the space
to concentrate.
And, of course, reading to them is always good,
although on this site that hardly seems needful to
mention.
Also, generational drift being what it is, as they get
older their notions of creative media and yours may not
intersect as much as you'd fondly pictured. I'm
reminded of my mother, who used to criticize my sitting
around reading F&SF books in my teens when she
thought I should be Doing Something -- preferably
chores, obviously, but I suspect also creative
activities to which she herself related, such as
painting or fabric arts. The reading and fantasizing
were just too invisible.
BenI got very
confused for a minute when this popped up in my
update feed. Jan 17,
2020 08:00PM ·
flag
Kate
DavenportAs the
child of an artistic mother who fostered artistry
in all her children I would echo the APPROPRIATE
applause but include sincere interest, and
aAs the child of an artistic
mother who fostered artistry in all her children
I would echo the APPROPRIATE applause but include
sincere interest, and also appropriate
constructive criticism. The biggest gift my
mother gave me was not being afraid of, offended
by, or defensive about a critique. Even if I
ultimately disagree with someone else's
assessment, there is almost always something I
can learn from it....more Jan 18,
2020 08:02AM ·
flag
BrzkIn Lois's
case the argument about "doing something"
obviously has had a successful closure - Lois
being a much loved artist. For most of us other
non-In Lois's case the argument about
"doing something" obviously has had a successful
closure - Lois being a much loved artist. For
most of us other non-artistic readers, the
argument would still be open if we are just lazy
bastards - if we still lived with our parents.
And no talk about creative differences and
personal notions of art would have changed that.
* sigh * Thus time makes monsters of us
all....more Jan 20,
2020 08:14AM ·
flag
Now that the 3-story collection makes up actual
novel-length market weight, and with a second in the
offing, I'm hoping for more action on the translations
front, but first, of course, foreign editors need to
hear of the works.
Lois BujoldAh,
sorry! The Bulgarian edition is legit. So, no
guilt needed for you.
I haven't received author's copies for this
edition yet, which serve to help fiAh, sorry! The Bulgarian edition
is legit. So, no guilt needed for you.
I haven't received author's copies for this
edition yet, which serve to help fix such sales
in my mind after the contracts disappear into my
file drawer. With potentially over 30 titles in
over 20 languages, scattered over perhaps several
renewals (because foreign contracts have shorter
terms of license), it easy to lose track.
You'd probably have the most luck by finding a writing
or critique group devoted to memoir and nonfiction
writing, and pool with them for tips and help.
MargaretProbably
asked this on Quora and got told, "Do your own
d***ed homework!", so tried here instead.Probably asked this on Quora and
got told, "Do your own d***ed homework!", so
tried here instead....more Jan 30,
2020 01:03PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, I trust you have already
found the Penric & Desdemona novellas, starting with
"Penric's Demon". (So I don't feel I've left that
world, as Temple sorcerer Penric continues to explore
it for me.)
Or do you just mean "at novel/trilogy length"?
Beyond that, it's one story at a time, no promises. I
don't do "plans" much, these days.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI've done both, but unless the
pictures bloom in my head, there's nothing to write,
however many boxes into which stories could go I have
on hand. So more the latter, although sometimes that
has included the former.
Well, no two characters can or even should be alike, so
I can't promise you another Caz. If you haven't tried
the Penric novellas yet, they might work for you as
well, if differently, as Penric starts out as a much
more callow youth, who is not even now as old as Caz
was when his story began. (Start with the e-novella
"Penric's Demon" or the Baen collection Penric's
Progress.)
Jonathan
PalfreyThe world
of the five gods currently encompasses three
novels with three different heroes, and seven
novellas with a single hero (Penric). The four
heThe world of the five gods
currently encompasses three novels with three
different heroes, and seven novellas with a
single hero (Penric). The four heroes have
different ages, sexes, and personalities, but
they all seem to me congenial and admirable in
their different ways....more Feb 04,
2020 12:23AM
SmurphsOf
all your characters, I too have a special
fondness for Caz. I would love to visit with him
again. Then I think on what trials would be
inflicted onOf all your characters, I too have
a special fondness for Caz. I would love to visit
with him again. Then I think on what trials would
be inflicted on him, and I think not. He has
earned his life away from the direct attentions
of Goddess. She can be b*tch. ;-)...more Feb 04,
2020 02:16PM
SuelibevgI
would recommend also reading the other books in
that series, Paladin of Souls and The Hallowed
Hunt. Feb 04,
2020 05:11PM
Lois McMaster
BujoldNow
that they've reached market weight with the two
collections, I'd certainly think the Penric novellas
could go for French and other translations. That choice
is not up to me, however, but rather to the foreign
publishers' purchasing editors. I'm sure my agent, who
they should know how to find, would be happy to hear
from them.
Crazy
CrazyThanx, I
really hope they will :) Feb 14,
2020 04:47AM ·
flag
Lily
WeatherwaxIt’s true
that your books are harder to find than other
authors, in French-speaking countries. The French
editions are rare and expensive, and the
EngIt’s true that your books
are harder to find than other authors, in
French-speaking countries. The French editions
are rare and expensive, and the English editions
aren’t on the shelves either. I don’t know if
this is also the case in other European
countries, but your books won Hugos and Nebulas,
so it shouldn’t be hard to market them here
too!...more Feb 18,
2020 01:41PM ·
flag
Howard
BrazeeI like
young adult novels, but might prefer more
contemporary environments. However, Harry Potter
has the advantage of being more familiar because
ofI like young adult novels,
but might prefer more contemporary environments.
However, Harry Potter has the advantage of being
more familiar because of the movies....more Feb 20,
2020 06:21AM
Bill
O'ConnorSome
specialist publishers print dual language
versions of some books. For example, I own a
version of Terry Pratchett's Guards, Guards! that
has theSome specialist publishers print
dual language versions of some books. For
example, I own a version of Terry Pratchett's
Guards, Guards! that has the English version on
the left hand page and the Russian version on the
right hand page....more Feb 21,
2020 06:05AM
Lois McMaster
BujoldBoth had their diverse charms,
but at the time Mark was the newer character to write.
But, really, it was their combination that was
synergistic.
Lois McMaster
BujoldIt
would depend entirely upon the story being told.
Nonlinear worked well for Catch-22, evoking the
chaos and absurdity of war and ending in a climax of
revelation. The Lord of the Rings, while linear,
was written in omniscient, which allowed some temporal
flex as needed. Most of my work (all, come to think) is
third-person-personal, past-tense, and chronological,
following the point-of-view characters and allowing the
reader to learn things as they do. Really, "better" is
not a useful word in criticism, unless it includes the
information, "Better for what?"
Lois McMaster
BujoldGlad you enjoyed The Spirit
Ring. Well, truly, the answer is, because I wrote
something else instead -- the whole run of Miles books
through the 90s, from Mirror Dance through A
Civil Campaign. Which worked out pretty well for
me...
Had tSR been a surprise bestseller, rather than a
surprise non-bestseller, I might have had more push to
get back to its world, but instead I took what I had
learned about how I wanted to write fantasy and went on
to The Curse of Chalion, which is still spinning
out aspects to explore, gosh, 20 years later.
But I'm happy The Spirit Ring is still finding
new readers almost 30 years later.
Marti
DolataI always
thought it suffered from not finding it's
audience as I liked it a lot.I always thought it suffered from
not finding it's audience as I liked it a
lot....more Feb 28,
2020 09:37PM ·
flag
MarthaRe:
cloning, I can tell you it doesn't help. The darn
clones up and get busy with lives of their own.
End result, the task list gets longer, not
shortRe: cloning, I can tell you it
doesn't help. The darn clones up and get busy
with lives of their own. End result, the task
list gets longer, not shorter. Harumph....more Mar 05,
2020 09:13AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldNot
anymore. There are the two new Baen dead-tree
collections, the first hardcover, Penric's
Progress, just out, containing the first three
novellas, and the second, Penric's Travels, with
the next three, due in May. Baen paperbacks will follow
at the usual remove. (Baen also has world rights on
these paper volumes, so no problems ordering
overseas.)
Also, "The Orphans of Raspay" will be out from
Subterranean Press in their usual deluxe hardcover come
summer. I'll have more about that on my blog as dates
firm up. For it to be collected by Baen, I'd have to
write two more, however, so that would be a while.
And, of course, Blackstone/Audible/Downpour has the
audio versions. Also some public libraries.
Anyway, lots of options. B&N online and Amazon are
two sources for paper as well as ebooks. Baen should
have some distribution through regular bookstores.
SubPress has a different business model -- you need to
go online to their website or to a few specialty stores
like Uncle Hugo's for their offerings, though I believe
some regular bookstores can order them in by
request.
(Not quite my mom's old quip about the lazy man who
said, "Just roll me over and stick it in me pocket,"
but darn close.)
Good luck --
L.
(Oh, and as I write this, "Knife Children" is pending
real-soon-now from SubPress as well. I'll blog it when
it ships.)
Shane
DuquetteAh! I
didn't realize Penric's Progress was a collection
of the first three novellas. That's perfect.
Thank you so much!Ah! I didn't realize Penric's
Progress was a collection of the first three
novellas. That's perfect. Thank you so
much!...more Feb 29,
2020 06:31AM ·
flag
MargaretThe
announcement of the Subterranean Press edition of
"Orphans of Raspay" landed in my inbox today, so
I went ahead and pre-ordered that. From what
thThe announcement of the
Subterranean Press edition of "Orphans of Raspay"
landed in my inbox today, so I went ahead and
pre-ordered that. From what they said, it's due
out in June....more Feb 29,
2020 12:11PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWe
figured out (just last week) that there may have been a
glitch in the submission, which is presently in process
of being corrected. I'm waiting to hear back, but
expect delay. If/when it changes from "if" to "when",
I'll make a blog post.
Lois McMaster
BujoldProbably the most extensive place
to see me piffle on about my writing is at the author
interview section of the Vorkosigan Wiki, here.
https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Au...
That should keep you busy for a while. The other two
fairly useful places are in The Vorkosigan
Companion and Sidelines: Talks and
Essays.
Beyond that, I've pretty much lurched from project to
project over the years not quite randomly, but rather
like a person scrambling from one stepping stone to the
next across a river, or scaling a climb one piton and
some rope-work at a time, each step both creating and
constraining the possibilities for the next, teaching
me a bit more each time in the doing. I've learned to
write by writing, on-the-job training. Possibly not
efficient, but there ya go.
(Remember, folks, entries in this column can get
separated randomly from prior entries, depending on the
"sort" chosen, so one needs to include context.)
FreyjaI lived in
Rochester for a couple of years, so I get it. I
was also born in Milwaukee, WI, so MN winter
didn't come as a surprise. I experienced a
lotI lived in Rochester for a
couple of years, so I get it. I was also born in
Milwaukee, WI, so MN winter didn't come as a
surprise. I experienced a lot of lake effect
snow, especially in college (CUW in Mequon, WI on
the lake)....more Mar 07,
2020 10:09PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold"Good" (which I don't think is
really a very useful word, when talking about books) is
a quality that does not actually lie in the book,
though most people unthinkingly or carelessly assume it
does. It actually describes an emotional response on
the part of the reader to the text in question, and is
thus a transactional event varying with each reading
and reader.
So asking the text (or its author) why a story is good
aims the question in the wrong direction. You have to
ask each reader, since it's only inside their heads
that the experience(s) of "a good read" lies. Now, what
people will say when asked will depend heavily
on how the question is framed.
In general, I think anyone with the nous to see
"message" incoming is right to duck, but maybe that's
just me.
Talli
RuksasI read an
award winner recently (not an LMB of course) and
while I'm sure it was "good", I didn't like it at
all, so I would agree that "good" just isI read an award winner recently
(not an LMB of course) and while I'm sure it was
"good", I didn't like it at all, so I would agree
that "good" just isn't relevant....more Mar 13,
2020 11:08PM ·
flag
SteveI would
even note that on more than one occasion I have
thought one of Lois's books was comparative weak;
but when I later read it a second time I
thoI would even note that on more
than one occasion I have thought one of Lois's
books was comparative weak; but when I later read
it a second time I thought it was great. The book
does not have different words each time -- the
reader is in a different place. "Good" is
relative, even for one reader....more Mar 17,
2020 09:25PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
two Penric novella collections, Penric's
Progress and Penric's Travels, are the
latest volumes to be published. Another Penric tale,
"The Orphans of Raspay" is out as an ebook, and "Knife
Children" also a e-novella, just got a nice hardcover
reprint. . The most recent prior full-length novel was
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen.
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, among others the songs of
Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer helped inspire some of
The Sharing Knife.
They only made three albums before Carter
unfortunately, and prematurely, passed away --
Tanglewood Tree; Drum Hat Buddha; When I Go --
all worth a listen.
EkaserPlus
"American Noel", the least Christmas-y sounding
Christmas album I think I've ever heard.Plus "American Noel", the least
Christmas-y sounding Christmas album I think I've
ever heard....more Mar 18,
2020 07:15AM
TylerI
purchased all their albums years ago when you
mentioned this before Lois. I Love their songs!
The songs really do evoke the feelings you wrote
aboutI purchased all their albums years
ago when you mentioned this before Lois. I Love
their songs! The songs really do evoke the
feelings you wrote about in the Sharing Knife
Series.1...more Mar 26,
2020 09:25AM
Lois McMaster
BujoldThanks! The Goodreads setup makes
to easy to dash off a note, and it does give me a handy
record of what I've read. It can be disturbing, looking
back over my list, how many things on it were
forgettable (and duly forgotten); some quite the
opposite, and with little relation to what some people
dub "quality of writing". Some kind of independent
variable thing going on there, perchance.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
SFWA folks are working hard behind the scenes to figure
out what they need to do, and plan to make
announcements at the end of this month. Check back
then.
Lois McMaster
BujoldLogo, emblem, crest... I've never
sat down and precisely designed it myself, although
there have been several nice fan art versions. (People
could throw in links to images in the comments, I
suppose.) It does involve mountains and maple leaves,
and I expect different generations of Vorkosigans have
done variations on it over time.
Lois McMaster
BujoldMy
two local stores with signed copies of my work here in
Minneapolis are Uncle Hugo's, and Dreamhaven. Both do
mail order, and both have lots of different titles in
stock. (Hugo's stock is probably larger.) You'll have
to ask them about gift cards.
CarmenJust
chiming in to confirm that Uncle Hugo's does do
gift cards! It's also a fantastic bookstore and
I'm sure would appreciate the remote support
righJust chiming in to confirm that
Uncle Hugo's does do gift cards! It's also a
fantastic bookstore and I'm sure would appreciate
the remote support right now:) (as would any
indie bookstore, rah rah!!)...more Mar 31,
2020 12:55PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldNope, I missed gaming
generationally -- when it was coming on as an activity,
I was deep into raising kids and booting up my writing
career, leaving less than zero time for anything that
didn't directly serve same. So I missed gaming as an
influence. Although I can see how it has affected other
writers and media, which makes for an interesting study
in narrative modes.
But I'm glad GURPS led you to my books I was hoping it
might work like that. Btw, GURPS Vorkosigan
sourcebook author Genevieve Cogman has gone on to her
own writing career with the The Invisible
Library series, which you might find fun.
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, Penric's Travels is
a hardcover collection/reprint of my original Penric &
Desdemona e-novellas "Penric's Mission, "Mira's Last
Dance", and "The Prisoner of Limnos". Following, of
course, from January's Penric's Progress, which
collected the first three novellas in the series
chronologically. I'm very pleased with the art and
design for both volumes.
I suspect book distribution, along with everything
else, is going to be quite disrupted for a time, which
may affect the volume's immediate availability with
respect to its hoped-for release date, but books don't
spoil. Folks should be able to obtain it through normal
bookselling channels in due course.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThat's a very large question to
answer in this tiny typing box... Year by year, I
abandon old work and engage with new, so the older
stuff would fade to a complete blur if it weren't for
me needing to proofread reprints, which brings them
back on the tide. I only wince some... I am certainly
not the same person I was in 1982 when I began
writing.
My response to reader-response has shifted to a more
relaxed mode, as I am not so anxious to make-or-break
it. This is all to the good.
The quote you mention was actually taken from a remark
by my dad, who taught engineering, about why he didn't
have to worry about cribbing in the tests he gave his
students.
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, I mostly remember my dad
when he was older, so, Georg. Due to his profession as
an engineering teacher and researcher, a lot of
engineers paraded through my young life, including my
older brother who went though dad's engineering course
himself, so Leo's more of an amalgam, source-wise.
Tyleragreed!
Civil Campaign is the jewel in the crown of the
series - in these Strange Depressing Days I'm
currently re-listening to the audio book of it
nagreed! Civil Campaign is
the jewel in the crown of the series - in these
Strange Depressing Days I'm currently
re-listening to the audio book of it now...more Apr 17,
2020 01:28PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldGoodreads is a book review and
blogging site, not a book vendor or e-library. It's not
for reading books, but rather, for reading about them;
you have to go elsewhere to get the content.
The exception might be bloggers who choose to put their
own content on their individual blogs. I use this
feature to make a reading-order guide to my work
permanently available.
Lois McMaster
BujoldYou
seem to have missed all my blog posts about Penric's
Progress a collection of the first 3 novellas,
released as a hardcover by Baen Books in January, and
Penric's Travels, a collection of the next 3,
upcoming in May (or thereabouts -- book distribution
being disrupted just now. But it'll catch up
eventually.)
Prior to that, there were all the Subterranean Press
hardcover chapbooks of the individual novellas.
"Penric's Demon" is long sold out, but most of the
others are still floating around -- Uncle Hugo's
Science Fiction Bookstore here in Minneapolis still has
most of them, signed, and does mail order. And, of
course, they have plenty of copies of Penric's
Progress. Dreamhaven Book & Comics also has some.
Likewise Amazon and B&N.
You get them by ordering them -- waiting for them to
spontaneously turn up at any particular bookstore is a
crapshoot. Check the assorted websites.
Lois McMaster
BujoldNope, sorry. I am also unclear
what you mean by "sarcastic statements", though I could
make several disparate guesses. Do you mean satire,
perchance?
Anyway, I suppose commenters could have a go at it.
NightbowWow--Tracy
Grammar is my neighbor! I hadn't know Lois was a
fan. This is some kind of wonderful string of
fandom (since I'm a giant Lois fan :) )Wow--Tracy Grammar is my neighbor!
I hadn't know Lois was a fan. This is some kind
of wonderful string of fandom (since I'm a giant
Lois fan :) )...more Apr 25,
2020 05:16AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldHeh. You
should give her a copy of the tetralogy...
Lois McMaster
BujoldI've found the technique that
works for me is to write books that sell themselves.
After that, sales is their job, best carried on without
my interference.
All the other publicity antler-dances are far too much
work. Unless the writer is a high-energy extrovert who
enjoys such activities as a hobby, the way some people
enjoy jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.
That said, of the 3 e-vendor platforms, iBooks, Nook,
and Kindle, we use for my indie work, Amazon's sales
are largest, about two-thirds, with the other third
split between the other two.
Martha"The way
some people enjoy jumping out of perfectly good
airplanes" Chortle!!"The way some people enjoy jumping
out of perfectly good airplanes" Chortle!!...more May 01,
2020 07:05AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldI must
credit that memorable line to Pat Wrede, although
I forget which para-writing activity she was
describing.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
don't know enough about directors to choose one, and,
let's be clear, it is the producer, the one with the
money, who does the choosing. S/he picks the directors
and it flows down from there.
I am much less hot for a media adaptation that I was
when I was younger and poorer, only partly because the
money would no longer make any great difference in my
life. When it is so hard to even get a cover that
accurately represents my story, a single still image
rendered by one person, getting an enormous committee
with multiple other motivations in play to do so seems
exponentially less likely.
Whatever came out the far end of this movie-making
machine might (or might not) be a good advertisement
for my books, but it would no longer be my story.
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, Bothari's death was the
first scene I'd visualized for The Warrior's
Apprentice, back when. By the time I'd plowed
through the 40k words to get to it, it had altered
substantially, but it was still the emotional center of
its subplot.
Early in my career, I was invited to do (paid)
novels in a couple of other series (four,
actually, upon digging through my memory,
alth@ more Chang --
Early in my career, I was invited to do (paid)
novels in a couple of other series (four,
actually, upon digging through my memory,
although just one I seriously considered, a
McCaffrey spin-off that later went to Elizabeth
Moon) being sharecropped by their publishers,
which would have paid higher advances than what I
was getting at the time. In each case, I turned
it down in favor of my own work, and in each
case, the subsequent novel of my own won a major
award, advancing my career considerably. This
taught me a valuable lesson about where to put my
limited creative energy and time... :-)
Lois McMaster
BujoldI've read and enjoyed the first
two Murderbot tales, yes. Good voice.
Having just finished the latest Penric novella mere
days ago, what I'm mainly looking forward to at the
moment is a summer off. After that, no one knows,
including me. I'm still enjoying exploring the novella
length, at this point.
AdamKnowing
that another Penric novella is coming has
brightened the day! May 05,
2020 04:19PM ·
flag
CelticAll of
the Murderbot novellas are very good - recommend.
I'm thoroughly enjoying a re-read, building up to
the novel that's just been released.
FascinAll of the Murderbot novellas are
very good - recommend. I'm thoroughly enjoying a
re-read, building up to the novel that's just
been released. Fascinating to see here how little
gap there was between you finishing the latest
Penric and it appearing online - is that a
record?...more May 14,
2020 09:21AM ·
flag
DexThat's why
I suggest young writers with approval of
courseThat's why I suggest young writers
with approval of course...more May 08,
2020 04:04AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldI
think you have no idea what "approval" entails,
how much work and time and attention it takes.
Riding herd on enterprises like that is
editing, a taI think you have no idea what
"approval" entails, how much work and time and
attention it takes. Riding herd on enterprises
like that is editing, a task, like
teaching writing, I once learned how to do (by
doing, which is how I learn most things), and
also learned I did not enjoy. Definitely not how
I wish to spend my reclining years.
Shudder.....more May 08,
2020 07:34AM ·
flag
But, in the cases you cite, they were probably shoved
up online by some overworked, underpaid minion
somewhere with a quota to meet who didn't bother with
the vast, time-consuming, and unrewarding tedium of
proofreading it all again.
Commenters with experience in these matters are invited
to chime in.
Bruce
KesselRecently,
many of your Vorkosigan series were reintroduced
with new artwork covers by Spectrum Literary
Agency. It seemed these were republished
electRecently, many of your Vorkosigan
series were reintroduced with new artwork covers
by Spectrum Literary Agency. It seemed these were
republished electronically, nicely. But I haven’t
done a “review” reading. I repurchased to
encourage my adult children to read.
Its a bummer because as a writer, it is probably
frustrating to see the text suffer thru poor
editorial/review practices.
I wonder if readers reported those issues, if
Amazon would produce and “UPDATE” that occurs in
my content library quite often....more May 18,
2020 07:10AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyIn my
experience, most old books in Kindle format are
riddled with errors, and I reckon they’ve been
scanned with little or no checking by humans.
OldIn my experience, most old
books in Kindle format are riddled with errors,
and I reckon they’ve been scanned with little or
no checking by humans. Old books wouldn’t be
available in computer-readable form because
personal computers didn’t exist in those days.
The first primitive personal computers came along
in the late 1970s, and it would have been some
time later that they started to be used for
writing and publishing books....more Jul 06,
2024 11:08AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Long enough that I can't remember without looking it
up; ever since they threw me (and a lot of other folks)
off my original blog host MySpace. I have no idea if
MySpace even still exists, but they erased everyone's
files behind them.
(Goes and looks it up.) My profile page says February
2012, but this site was being run as a fan thing before
I arrived and took up squatter's rights. My first
book-notes seem to date from then, so it's probably
about right.)
I like this hosting site; it stays reliably
book-oriented.
Yvonne
SmithThank you
for that information and your response. Glad to
hear you like this hosting site. Hope you get a
chance to check out my new book. You may
eveThank you for that information and
your response. Glad to hear you like this hosting
site. Hope you get a chance to check out my new
book. You may even know someone that my be
suffering in silence from emotional or physical
abuse. If so, my book will hopefully help them
get through it. You take care of yourself and
again, thank you for your response....more May 11,
2020 09:07AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyMy profile
says February 2012 also. Goodreads is far from
perfect, and some people have been abandoning it.
I’ve been establishing a parallel presenceMy profile says February 2012
also. Goodreads is far from perfect, and some
people have been abandoning it. I’ve been
establishing a parallel presence on LibraryThing,
because (a) I like LibraryThing, and (b) I may
want to abandon Goodreads someday. But, for now,
I can have both....more Nov 09,
2025 10:16AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The Miles & Co. that have taken up residence in your
head cannot be stolen out of it short of the fog of
time or a major stroke, so you're likely safe
there.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
A new one for me, though I have it on my Kindle. I'd
started it a while back, then tripped over my belief
that it was the sequel to Swordheart (which was
a delightful tale.) I need to restart it without
spending many pages of misreading. expecting it to be
some other book.
I really want to know more about the Dervish (in
SH), though I suspect the author may be more interested
in the other member of the unfortunate triumvirate,
wossername.
John
PrigentCorvids
are birds that scavenge battlefields when there's
any killing around - Ravens included as well as
rooks, crows etc.Corvids are birds that scavenge
battlefields when there's any killing around -
Ravens included as well as rooks, crows
etc....more May 19,
2020 05:45AM ·
flag
ScottD'oh!
Yes, I did know that. Ah, the ravages of
isolation and middle age. They say the brain is
the second thing to go.D'oh! Yes, I did know that. Ah,
the ravages of isolation and middle age. They say
the brain is the second thing to go....more May 19,
2020 11:12PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Hard to say. Doing in vegetation may be too slow a
process to dump hot chaos in a hurry; or it may be a
skill Pen acquires later on, should a future plot
require it.
Revisiting Joen's leashed sorcerers in Paladin of
Souls might give an idea of the wilder
possibilities.
I have a fleeting memory of Sophie in Howl's Moving
Castle doing in the weeds while in a bad mood one
day, but I can't remember if she used magic. It may be
time for a reread...
No, I'm afraid I have no idea what the hold-up is at
iBooks. I will probably send in the corrections list to
my e-helper tomorrow, which will either kick things
along or delay them, no idea which.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Mm, it was a short gap, but perhaps made to appear
shorter by the fact I was keeping quiet about the work
until my test readers could see the final draft, and I
could get some sense of how it would be received
despite the unfortunate coincidence of subject matter
and timing. There was also some back-and-forthing about
the title and cover before we got it right, which, for
similar reasons, I didn't particularly want to air to
fans.
It seems to have all come together in the end, though.
I'm looking forward to a summer off, after all the
flurry of PR this month and leading in to Nebula
Weekend.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It is, but Penric is only one dude. And sorcerers
generally are rather thin on the ground. I don't think
the kinds of flies and fleas and mosquitoes and ticks
that bite people are in any more danger of magical
eradication than whatever dent humans have made in
their populations after centuries of trying in
non-magical ways. (I.e., none.) Cockroaches ditto.
Though if anything, magical eradication might be better
for the ecology because it could be far more
selective.
There are also lots of plant and animal diseases and
pests of interest, glancingly touched on in the most
recent tale.
TerngirlAgreed!
Any perturbation could have unintended
consequences — but I believe the Bastard would
figure it out and prevent it! Or maybe the
Mother, wouldAgreed! Any perturbation could
have unintended consequences — but I believe the
Bastard would figure it out and prevent it! Or
maybe the Mother, wouldn’t she be in charge of
ecosystems? Or the Daughter?...more May 22,
2020 11:41PM ·
flag
Jonathan
Palfrey"The gods
have no hands in this world but ours. If we fail
Them, where then can They turn?" (Ingrey kin
Wolfcliff, The Hallowed Hunt, quoted at the
be"The gods have no hands in
this world but ours. If we fail Them, where then
can They turn?" (Ingrey kin Wolfcliff, The
Hallowed Hunt, quoted at the beginning of The
Physicians of Vilnoc)...more May 23,
2020 12:16AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Alas, I do not create during my insomnia. I mainly lie
there and fume.
It also steals my creative and writing brain the next
day, because of the deep fatigue, headache, and body
ache that result from too little sleep. Sleep meds help
general function, when they work at all, but then have
drug hangovers the next day that also rob me of higher
brain function, so there's no win there.
Insomnia. Sounds dramatic, actually sucks. Not
recommended for writers.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Xav was a half brother of Yuri, of different mothers.
He was born well before Yuri's mother died, Dorca
finally married his significant other, and Xav was
legitimated. So Xav's legitimacy was always a bit
dodgy.
More critically, Mad Yuri had Xav's only son murdered
(his daughters survived) so Xav had no successor when
Yuri was brought down and they had to figure out a new
emperor. He was also old and grieving and very, very
tired. Piotr was in a similar state, having just lost
his favored heir. The two put their heads together and
decided to headhunt Ezar instead of putting too-young
Aral in the hot seat.
Good question for historical speculators whether things
would have gone differently if Piotr's older son had
lived.
deleted user From what
I recall, Xav's other daughter (Ivan's
grandmother) survived, so maybe it's a typo? Or
maybe Xav's only son was killed at an earlier
time anFrom what I recall, Xav's other
daughter (Ivan's grandmother) survived, so maybe
it's a typo? Or maybe Xav's only son was killed
at an earlier time and his daughters survived
that incident, only for Olivia to be killed
later?...more May 23,
2020 10:10AM ·
flag
SueFrom a
thread entry on the LMB mailing list from Herselt
(Sept. 1, 2012) : “ The part of the massacre at
which Aral was present was at Padma
VorpatrilFrom a thread entry on the LMB
mailing list from Herselt (Sept. 1, 2012) : “ The
part of the massacre at which Aral was present
was at Padma Vorpatril's first birthday party.
This was a family event, taking place in the
afternoon, at the home of Princess Sonia and her
Lord Vorpatril husband in Vorbarr Sultana... In
addition to Lord Vorpatril and Princess Sonia,
and little Padma, attendees included sister/aunt
Olivia Vorbarra-Vorkosigan and all three of her
children. Aral's brother was in his
mid-teens (and doubtless bored with the kiddie
stuff), Aral as we know was 11, and his sister
was younger, maybe 6 - 8. It is not stated
if young Padma had any siblings at this point,
perhaps an older sister or two; if so, they did
not survive. But it isn't a prolific
family, so probably not. Xav's son may or
may not have been present; if not, he was killed
elsewhere that
day. It is unknown if he had a wife and
children yet -- it depends if he was younger or
older than his sisters.
Survivors at the Vorpatril home included, besides
Aral and Padma, Padma's mother Sonia, the only
one of Xav's children to survive the day, though
I expect she was seriously injured... in whatever
case she was deceased before Cordelia came to
Barrayar. I do not think her husband
survived long, because there are no more siblings
for Padma, although Lord Vorpatril might have
survived the day, only to be killed sometime
during the civil
war immediately following.“...more May 23,
2020 11:10AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The Barrayaran imperial succession, like successions in
real history, are pretty much a matter of the moment.
Precedents may break or be broken, or hold, depending
on what the people with power around the events want to
have happen at the time.
"Power" by the way, is a trickily undefined term that
usually sneaks by unexamined. I'd define it most
broadly as "the flow of will in human activities",
which, if you back-translate it into most of the places
the word is bandied about, has some odd effects.
E.g, such slogans as "Speaking Truth to...The Flow Of
Will in Human Activities". Hmmm.
Judy R.I
once asked a military expert on the American
Revolution what was it that made the English give
up, and although I don't remember the answer in
detaiI once asked a military expert on
the American Revolution what was it that made the
English give up, and although I don't remember
the answer in detail, it resonated with Aral in
Shards at Escobar -- one consequential action
following another until the favorability balance
was overwhelmed, perhaps with a subliminal click.
Teaching recognition of this status must be
(should be?) a major goal of military education.
However, when stubborn individuals fight on
regardless, or are too stupid to recognize the
futility, what then? Predictability lapses, and
it gets interesting....more Jun 06,
2020 04:52AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The co-incidence of "The Physicians of Vilnoc" with
current events was accidental. I'd planned the story
last year, based on an amalgam of earlier historical
models, run through the peculiarities of the world of
the five gods. But it got off to a later start than I'd
thought it would, and so the present pandemic
more-or-less rose up around it.
Not writing it was, at that point deep in the creative
process, a non-option, though I did wonder for a while
about finishing but not publishing it. I finally
concluded my readers could be trusted to decide for
themselves whether it was anything they wanted to read
right now. The story will, presumably, be around for
years yet.
I like the watercolors analogy. Interesting personal
connection.
Jonathan
PalfreyThe story
could be read as a tribute to the work and
suffering of doctors and nurses this year; but
it's interesting to hear to hear that it was
coincThe story could be read as a
tribute to the work and suffering of doctors and
nurses this year; but it's interesting to hear to
hear that it was coincidental. I'm reminded of
Tolkien denying that The Lord of the Rings had
anything to do with the Second World War: it was
written at that time but conceived
earlier....more May 17,
2020 03:28PM ·
flag
Lois BujoldWell, it
is a tribute to the work and suffering of medical
caregivers, but that's not something new.
More people are just less oblivious of it at
presWell, it is a tribute to the work
and suffering of medical caregivers, but that's
not something new. More people are just
less oblivious of it at present....more May 17,
2020 03:36PM ·
flag
Lois BujoldI
wondered if this question might be stealth
spam-parasitical advertising, and almost skied
it, but I let it pass. If I get many more, I will
delete wI wondered if this question might
be stealth spam-parasitical advertising, and
almost skied it, but I let it pass. If I get many
more, I will delete without mercy, though.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The story is so new, it's barely been submitted to
Blackstone, but we certainly intend to do so. I expect
they will want to license it as usual.
When the contract actually comes through, I'll likely
mention it on my blog, but really, the pertinent news
will be later on when they have a release date. I would
assume Blackstone's business is as disrupted as
everyone else's at the moment, so you probably need to
build some extra time into your expectations.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Hm, glad you're asking for "one of" instead of an
impossible just one. I am at the moment considering
whether I want to dip into a reread of Pandora
Hearts, at least the first 22 manga volumes, and
there's a new T. Kingfisher waiting in my queue. A
roundup of some of my reading in recent years may be
seen here:
SoftnessSomeone
phishing for info. Nowadays, people usually
protect their email addresses because they can
get hit with spam. Or they have one public email
anSomeone phishing for info.
Nowadays, people usually protect their email
addresses because they can get hit with spam. Or
they have one public email and one private one.
Not sure what this person is expecting you to
tell them. If they searched a little, they could
easily find the state you live in. ;) It's listed
right on your Wikipedia page. <3...more May 19,
2020 04:44PM
ScottYup,
scammer all the way, as above. Data gathering is
always the first step. May 21,
2020 11:23AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The story isn't due to be released on audio till
mid-July. I think what you are seeing on Amazon US is
the pre-order page. When the novella actually goes up
for downloading it should appear on all the Amazons in
the usual way.
Your mistyping above may actually be on-point, given
the topic of the latest Penric & Desdemona novella,
"The Physicians of Vilnoc", but that, I finally
decided, must be for the individual readers to choose
for themselves.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
You already have an email for me. Goodreads has a
private messaging system, which any registered
Goodreads user (such as yourself) can use to message
any other GR user (such as me.)
You are not the first baffled person to resort to the
Author Q&A column, which is designed for public
discussion of my writing, for other questions. Perhaps
some commenters below could offer instruction on how to
use the Goodreads mail system. (I don't offhand know if
the messaging is limited to the officially befriended
or not.)
I would note that other public information is usually
available on writers' Goodreads Profile pages or in
Wikipedia entries.
JamesClick on
the Messages (Letter) icon in the top right, then
on "Compose New Message", then start typing
"Lois" in the To: field, her name will appear
aClick on the Messages
(Letter) icon in the top right, then on "Compose
New Message", then start typing "Lois" in the To:
field, her name will appear as an option. Select
that, and then write the email....more May 21,
2020 10:24PM ·
flag
ChrisI think
they are not telling the truth about their
age. May 24,
2020 06:24AM ·
flag
Laureen
HartWeird, I
tried that James and got nothing. I tried putting
in Lois McMaster Bujold and got nothing. My
letter did not send so there must be some
otherWeird, I tried that James and got
nothing. I tried putting in Lois McMaster Bujold
and got nothing. My letter did not send so there
must be some other thing I am missing.
Laureen...more Oct 15,
2020 06:12PM ·
flag
JerriI forgot
to add that the others can stand on their own,
although I think the Penric novella series is
strongest read in internal chronological
order.I forgot to add that the others
can stand on their own, although I think the
Penric novella series is strongest read in
internal chronological order. I find the theology
of the Five Gods universe explained most clearly
in the Penric tales, perhaps since Penric is a
scholar and he thinks nice clear explanations. I
had read the three novels long before Penric's
appearance, and after reading Penric's adventures
I re-read the others with greater
enjoyment....more May 22,
2020 12:24PM ·
flag
MaureenI, too,
have re-read the Vorkosigan books, this time in
chronological order. I was thoroughly delighted
with Cordelia, Miles and Co., the quad dies,
SI, too, have re-read the
Vorkosigan books, this time in chronological
order. I was thoroughly delighted with Cordelia,
Miles and Co., the quad dies, Simon, Aral and at
the end, Joel.
It was like discovering them all over again.
Thank you, Lois, for a great series. I hope
writing them gave you as much satisfaction as
they gave me....more May 29,
2020 10:06AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Both. My first notions were for an older Penric, but
prior experience with series has shown me that skipping
over large swathes of time tends to limit what stories
can later go in between. Besides, I thought I could get
to know him better by beginning at his beginning.
The particular details of each novella were developed
one by one, in the writing. I like surprising myself.
(And you all.)
I arrived at what eventually became the novel
Falling Free, decades back, by a similar
process. My first notions were for the race of quaddies
in situ in their asteroid colony in Miles's
time, but then I reasoned back to their necessary
beginning, Leo popped up, and other characters and the
story began to coalesce around him.
Lois McMaster
Bujold The Sharing Knife tetralogy has had quite varied
reader response, from folks who like it as you do to
those who totally bounce off it, for a variety of
reasons. (Including the perennial "This wasn't the
[name some other book] I wanted to have been reading!"
Also, "It's bad, because it's a romance!", which
I find a touch a priori.) One can get a sense of
the array by a cruise through the assorted-star Amazon
reviews, or here on Goodreads.
I think my 1600-page anti-epic is a major and
original and deeply considered work, but I'm not
prepared to argue with those who feel otherwise.
Anyway, standard writerly kvetching about reviews
aside, I'm always very pleased to run across a reader
who sees it my way. Thank you for your thoughtful
reading!
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I am, thankfully, neither Eliot nor Nabokov, and I paid
my dues with interest long ago. I don't do obligations
anymore, nor mornings.
Writing may still happen. Sometimes. If I feel like
it...
Jonathan
PalfreyIn a much
smaller way, when I revisit book reviews that I
wrote years ago, sometimes there are things that
I want to add or change, but sometimes I'mIn a much smaller way, when I
revisit book reviews that I wrote years ago,
sometimes there are things that I want to add or
change, but sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised
that I found things to say then that I might not
have thought of now. We're not quite the same
person that we used to be, for better or worse
(probably a bit of both)....more May 29,
2020 03:25AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThank you! It was an amazing
experience. The SFWA president, Mary Robinette Kowal,
the SFWA staff, and the huge crew of savvy volunteers
did a monumental job of moving the whole Nebula Weekend
online, pretty much making it all up as they went. They
provided an unforgettable (and educational!) experience
for the attendees, logging in from time zones all over
the world.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This is much too large a question to answer in this
tiny typing box, though if you check my assorted
interviews from around the times the books were
published, you may find some material. https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Au...
But yes, fun, in that peculiar, absorbing way that
writing long projects is fun. (And frustrating, and
tiring, and exhilarating, and many other things.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nope, the two series have no connection. Unrelated
worlds. Both have rather restrained, non-visible magic
systems, but that just represents their author's
taste.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThis is a very large question to
answer in this tiny typing box, and has been answered
before. It's unfortunate that this Q&A blog does
not have a search function, but some of this is covered
in earlier posts in this column if you scroll back, and
in interviews -- see https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Au...
Interviews dated around the time of the specific book
you are curious about may be more directedly
fruitful.
I've written reams of stuff on these sorts of process
questions, some of it a lot closer to the times of
actual composition, so likely to be fresher and more
accurate. Have fun!
And thanks for the many years of faithful reading.
Ta, L.
...and now I'm wondering how many readers out there are
too young to know what "reams" were....
KathieYes! I
have reams of reams under my desk from when
everything was printed out. Recently I got to
explain paper weights to someone! It was a blast
fromYes! I have reams of reams under
my desk from when everything was printed out.
Recently I got to explain paper weights to
someone! It was a blast from publishing
past....more Jul 28,
2020 07:57AM ·
flag
Stewart
Deanor
dialing a phone or that by and large refers to
sailing into the wind or away from it
or..... Sep 08,
2021 06:43AM ·
flag
This
question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[This is so called "deism". Not new, but
beautifully used in your productions.
Of course, as long time sci-fi fen, my favorite is the
Vorkosigan saga.
I see there are some new books, after "Civil campaign" I
didn't see anything in my own language. Do you have any
statistics about translations in foreign languages,
particularly Bulgarian? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
don't always get royalty reports from the smaller
foreign publishers. Glancing back through my contracts
file, I see BARD in Sofia has in the last decade
licensed the first 6 Penric & Desdemona novellas,
Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, and
Cryoburn; since foreign publishers are also
spotty about sending on author's copies, I don't know
what happened to them after that.
BrzkI would
love to send you copies of all your works in
Bulgarian. but sharing your postal address being
a very bad idea - where do you want them
deliverI would love to send you copies of
all your works in Bulgarian. but sharing your
postal address being a very bad idea - where do
you want them delivered so that you can collect
them?...more Jun 08,
2020 12:31AM ·
flag
I don't actually want to warehouse more books,
but I could use cover scans, if you can readily
do that. (Front and back if possible. And
scan@ Brzk --
I don't actually want to warehouse more books,
but I could use cover scans, if you can readily
do that. (Front and back if possible. And scans
of the respective copyright pages, normally found
on the backs of the title pages.) Contact me
through the Goodreads private mail to figure out
how to email them to me. For an added bonus, you
could cc to the fan who runs the Vorkosigan Wiki,
for general display. The Wiki is always looking
to try to get a complete run of scans of all my
translations covers everywhere, everywhen.
BrzkYes,
correct on all accounts, my bad. I think we have
tried to collect some missing ISBNs for the Wiki
once - the lady who runs it has done a better
jYes, correct on all
accounts, my bad. I think we have tried to
collect some missing ISBNs for the Wiki once -
the lady who runs it has done a better job
already. I will do the scans and then let you
know - I can upload them somewhere for you to
download. Or something. Have a good night,
Lois!...more Jun 08,
2020 12:52PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This is so far left to the imagination of the readers.
But one may presume it is almost as disorienting for
the demon as for the host. Also, every demon is as or
more different from one another as every person. It
might be possible for the personalities to disagree,
although as time goes on they do tend to meld, but at
the moment of the host's death there will only be a
small number of choices in range. We've twice, with
Hallana and Ruchia, seen demons jump to someone nearby
other than the new host the Temple presented, but that
was more likely disagreement between the demon and its
handlers than internal to the demon. Probably...
MarthaThere's
also the fact that, when someone dies, at least
one of the Gods is alarmingly nearby, which'll
put any demon into a state of frenzy. So one
geThere's also the fact that,
when someone dies, at least one of the Gods is
alarmingly nearby, which'll put any demon into a
state of frenzy. So one gets the feeling that a
demon will make split-second decision, and then
hunker down and hope the God doesn't notice them.
(Though there's another question: are demons as
afraid of, say, the Daughter as they are of the
Bastard?)...more Jun 19,
2020 06:44AM ·
flag
Demons are alarmed by all the gods, but it's the
Bastard who has to power to recall them. It would
not be impossible for the dying soul to@ Martha --
Demons are alarmed by all the gods, but it's the
Bastard who has to power to recall them. It would
not be impossible for the dying soul to go to
another god, and the demon be rendered down for
parts by the B. (Or be allowed to go on in the
world, depending.) Temple sorcerers are normally
dedicated to the white god, but it's not an
invariant.
This
question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Thank you for your great work!
I've noticed interpretations of revelations in GJ&RQ
as meaning that Barrayar's victory in the first
Cetagandan war was somehow not real. Yet the fact that
one side refrained from using weapons of mass destruction
doesn't make its defeat less real. US didn't use nukes in
Vietnam, USSR in Afghanistan. Yet they still actually
lost those wars & same goes for Cetaganda.
Would you agree? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't think the text gives enough detailed
information to draw close parallels. Not that that
stops folks.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It's fluid, but it does appear that the personalities
blend around the edges over time, with the older ones
less distinct than the newer. The memories mostly
remain distinct, but the presenting persona becomes
more of a consensus.
There is some interesting recent research in
neurobiology that suggests the the parts of a brain
actually cooperate in something of a consensus fashion
in generating awareness.
BrzkConsidering
all of the above, and my separate notion that the
Physicians proves what was in development so far
- that Des and Pen blend as well, I expConsidering all of the above, and
my separate notion that the Physicians proves
what was in development so far - that Des and Pen
blend as well, I expect their faith to be
markedly different from what has happened with
other demons and hosts (I know this is not the
right word) before. And they have a child
together, all three of them - I consider Des to
be a part of it. It is one thing to be a rider of
an intellecually inferior being and another thing
to co-exist with someone at the most intimate of
all possible levels. Pen has been a son, a
brother, a father, a woman so far, and is the
most potent magician of his time (well...).
Remains to see if he will somehow transcend
humanity (don't know if this would be a good
thing or a bad thing). Or maybe the Bastard will
take them both in and let them be. Which is also
nice. Interesting why people, me included, are so
focused on how it all ends, when the story has
just begun....more Jun 24,
2020 04:19AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The text never specifies exactly, but you could work
out an approximation from the ages of her children. For
one thing, we don't know exactly how long she lived in
Cardegoss right after she was widowed, getting more and
more strange, before her mother came to remove her to
more out-of-the-way Valenda, at what instigation we
also do not know. "About ten years" would be a fair
guess.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't really have an answer for this, but maybe
spiced peach or apricot tarts or Jam butter cookies?
Flourless chocolate cake? Maybe the commenters below
could chime in with suggestions.
I do not recommend oatmeal and blue cheese dressing,
however...
SusanI might
go with a veg plate and blue cheese dressing, or
a cheese plate and have oatmeal cookies for
after. Jul 14,
2020 05:40PM
EdwinaHow about
vegetable soup? It'd be in reference to the soup
Cordelia ate once she and Aral finally made it
through the planet to the Barrayaran base
anHow about vegetable soup?
It'd be in reference to the soup Cordelia ate
once she and Aral finally made it through the
planet to the Barrayaran base and the Yeoman
stuck on kitchen duty was so happy someone
finally enjoyed his cooking...and she says, "' 'S
delishesh" " 'S wonderful"? which always made me
wonder if that was a tip of the hat to George
Gershwin?...more Aug 03,
2020 11:47PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not especially. Dag's is not a world of schools and
certifications, nor of answers to be found in the back
of the book, though it certainly contains ad hoc
apprenticeships. Pretty much everyone has to be an
autodidact, there, plus... whatever one calls it when
small groups of people boot up each other, which is
much the way the world of grownups works generally.
...Really, there ought to be a plural form of
the autodidact concept. Besides "writers' group".
Deb KrolThat
sounds suspiciously like the answer to questions
like "When is the next Miles story coming out?"
Although I have to say, the Sharing Knife has
noThat sounds suspiciously
like the answer to questions like "When is the
next Miles story coming out?" Although I have to
say, the Sharing Knife has now become my favorite
LMB series, I will strive to refrain from that
piteous please for more such....more Jul 06,
2020 06:24PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It's merely a variant. There are only two choices of
age-spreads for romantic partners; dead-even ages, or
some degree of uneven ages. You are just noticing the
more uneven ones preferentially. (Although indeed it
can add a dramatic element, depending, like any other
disjoint cultural aspect that must be worked through by
one's characters.) There are lots of even or nearly
even pairs as well, that pass by unremarked. Miles and
Ekaterin, ferex. Ingrey and Ijada are pretty close, as
are Fiametta and Thur, Ista and Illvin, Simon and
Alys... the list goes on, but no one makes breathless
comments about the near-age-pairs; invisible, I
guess.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Other writers certainly have combined the genres;
perhaps the commenters could chime in below with
favorite examples.
I happen to think that genres are a continuum, rather
than discrete boxes. (Actually, I think the world of
books is an amorphous mass over which we drop assorted
organizing and varyingly arbitrary mental grids. Also
the world of people, but that's another discussion.)
Speaking only for myself as a writer, I would classify
anything as "fantasy" in the genre sense if the
supernatural, in the book-world, is something real.
This does not capture the dozens of subgenres that have
other kinds of elements of unreality, from FTL travel
to alternate history to, for that matter, fictional
characters. But that's a much broader and less useful
definition of "fantasy".
And then there's the numinous, of which the SFnal
version is probably "sense of wonder". Which is not
about rules, but about evoking an emotion of awe in the
reader. Which is another slice through it
altogether.
FreyjaThe
Darkover novels can be considered a combination
of fantasy and science fiction. Jul 10,
2020 05:57PM ·
flag
Marti
DolataI highly
recommend "Enchantress from the Stars" for this
discussion. The story is told from 2 points of
view - one as a standard SF story, the other
aI highly recommend
"Enchantress from the Stars" for this discussion.
The story is told from 2 points of view - one as
a standard SF story, the other as a fairie tale.
There is also a story by Ursula K Leguin
"Semley's Necklace" who's framing story is SF and
Semley's is Fantasy....more Jul 22,
2020 04:44PM ·
flag
I don't know what to write in the Application in the
author program page in goob reads. I found the
instructions confusing language. can you please share
your experiences? (hide
spoiler)]
My experiences are unhelpful, since, besides being
several years out of date, as I recall I just strolled
in and took over my site previously set up by fans.
Further tweaking by me involved following the
instructions with some experimental back-and-forthing
since, indeed, it's not always clear what to do even if
one's first language is English. (It would likely help
to be bilingual in Computer, which I am not.)
Too, if an entry is not required, one can always leave
it blank for the moment.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Barrayar does have dogs; Dono is mentioned as owning a
large and unruly one, not to mention young Donna's
ill-fated puppy. There is also a problem of feral dogs
mentioned iirc in "The Flowers of Vashnoi".
Young Miles does not appear to have ever owned a dog,
so they haven't been front and center.
Adger
WilliamsThanks.
I'd wondered if they were too indiscriminate in
their eating habits to survive easily in a
non-Terran environment.Thanks. I'd wondered if they were
too indiscriminate in their eating habits to
survive easily in a non-Terran
environment....more Jul 20,
2020 06:50AM ·
flag
KarenhuntAlso in
Cryoburn, when Miles showed pics of his home to
Jin and Mina: With lots of animals—there had been
dogs and cats and birds in the backgrounds
oAlso in Cryoburn, when Miles
showed pics of his home to Jin and Mina: With
lots of animals—there had been dogs and cats and
birds in the backgrounds of some of those shots,
and who knew what creatures lurked in those
wooded hills?...more Apr 30,
2021 06:02AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I am not a math person, tho' I did get up to
differential calculus, decades ago in college. Long
forgotten now. I do like the pictures/graphs generated
by math -- those, I find intuitively illuminating. I
only do or consult on math to get time-speed-distance
and suchlike calculations in my tales not-wrong, within
the bounds of the possible. This is as important for
horses as it is for spaceships.
Lois McMaster
BujoldYou
are welcome to make one for yourself, but not to post
or sell.
The old source was Steve Salaba at Softwear Toys 'n
Tees, who was actually licensed, and sold VK stuff in
assorted SF convention dealers' rooms around the
Midwest. He might still be findable for mail order, if
you want to save yourself steps. My brief websearch
turns up an address in Kalamazoo, Michigan, which
sounds about right, but the website link goes to
something in a foreign language that is definitely not
the droid you're looking for. Possibly some
Michigan-area fans could chime in with more recent news
or contact info on Steve.
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I'm a survivor of an abusive marriage.
Reading about Ekaterin has really helped me. I like how
Miles grew when his parents urged him to take
accountability for harming Ekaterin in The Civil
Campaign. Yet, in their married life, I see him subsuming
Ekaterin in just the way Kareen Koudelka was concerned
about (when explaining her preference for Mark over
Miles). Will you write more about the Miles/Ekaterin
marriage? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
First, congrats for getting out. I've heard from a
surprising number of women who felt Ekaterin's story
spoke to them, so you are not alone.
Back to fiction, I'm actually not sure what some folks
think Ekaterin should be doing with her life,
more than the three or four jobs she's shouldering
already. Nor how she could fit it into the time
allotted to her. I suspect it's simply that they do not
value the same things she does.
(The systematic and rather toxic denigration of
domesticity and caregiving in our culture is a subject
too large for this tiny typing box, but the readerly
recoil from such a threat to status, even vicarious,
can get quite heated. It gives me, as the kids say,
thinky thoughts.)
Meanwhile, standard answer, nothing new in the
Vorkosigan direction is happening at this time. It's a
frequently voiced question, although the proposed
suggestions for subject matter are as varied and wildly
contradictory as the readers.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
With difficulty. For the books set on our world-ish, I
can use real-world names, calibrated for cultures and
times, but in the pre-internet days finding such wasn't
as easy; my thin local phone book had rather slim
pickings. Nowadays one can Google [country name]
surnames/popular names for men/whatever, and be spoiled
for accurate choice.
For my fantasy worlds, I've found it speeds things up
to generate name lists in advance, from which I can
just select if a new character or place pops up. (Main
characters get first pick and more cogitation.) One
trick to make names sound as if they all come from the
same language base is to pick a place on a map (or the
index in a history book), take the names found, break
them down into syllables, and remix them into
euphonious and pronounce-able new names. (I'm also
trending to "shorter", these days.) Then stare at the
list till the right name for this person or place
presents itself. A prudent last step, which also wasn't
possible before the internet, is to do a quick name
check and make sure one hasn't accidentally given a
character/place a made-up name that is something
unfortunate in another language.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, but nearly a year went by for Pen and company
between the two novellas, during which the characters'
lives did not stand still. Thus the references.
Shane
CastleHalber was
such a misanthrope and narcissist that I would
not be surprised if he were sundered, rejecting
all the gods, and taken by none. Hamo
probabHalber was such a misanthrope and
narcissist that I would not be surprised if he
were sundered, rejecting all the gods, and taken
by none. Hamo probably knows....more Aug 12,
2020 04:39PM ·
flag
CarroWho was
Halber? I've read all your books but that one
slips my mind.Who was Halber? I've read all your
books but that one slips my mind....more Aug 13,
2020 04:52AM ·
flag
Shane
CastleSince no
answer as yet - see "Penric's Fox".Since no answer as yet - see
"Penric's Fox"....more Aug 14,
2020 02:18PM ·
flag
As for what to pick next, it will entirely depend on
what aspects you are reading for, or against. Readers
are all over the map on this question, reasonably
enough I suppose as my stories are not all the
same.
I have two fantasy series, the World of the Five Gods
and The Sharing Knife. (Plus the lonely stand-alone
The Spirit Ring.) The first series is
medievaloid-European in inspiration, and the stories
are spread around its world but not always closely
connected. The second is inspired by, but is NOT, the
pre-industrial American Midwest, quite deliberately not
lords 'n swords, but deliberately with a strong romance
backbone, and is one continuous story in 4 books.
The first starts with The Curse of Chalion; the
second with The Sharing Knife: Beguilement. I'd
say your best shot is to try the first in each, and see
if either grabs you. Good luck!
Scott@Heather,
Beautiful little kit! He looks like he'll be a
great companion.@Heather, Beautiful little kit! He
looks like he'll be a great companion....more Aug 20,
2020 12:16PM ·
flag
HeatherThank you
Scott. He is a good cat. Aug 20,
2020 10:11PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Mm, hadn't considered that one. Hallana's demon didn't
emerge as a personality much, as that tale did not
include her interior viewpoint.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nope, I don't have any control over this. You'd have to
ask Blackstone Audiobooks. But I don't think they
revise extant audiobooks.
Some of the Penric novellas don't have chapters,
depending on what I'm doing with viewpoint cues.
I suppose if anyone knows and tricks or hacks for this,
they could chime in at the comments.
JerriA lot
depends on how you listen to the Audible
audiobooks. If you download to a computer and
then side load to a dumb MP3 player, there are
almost alwA lot depends on how you listen to
the Audible audiobooks. If you download to a
computer and then side load to a dumb MP3 player,
there are almost always no chapter divisions. If
you listen on an app on a smart phone or tablet I
find one experience and it is sometimes different
if I use my Kindle Fire tablet. It is true that
older audiobooks in general have fewer and less
helpful divisions. Most newer ones have some sort
of chapter divisions that are available for full
use in some apps/listening devices. Some apps
have bookmarking capabilities, and I have put
bookmarks at important locations in some of my
favorite audiobooks, that I know I will want to
listen to multiple times. But I feel sure that
LMB won't be able to change this. Comments to
Audible and/or the companies that actually make
the specific audio, Blackstone in this case is
your best bet for changes....more Aug 22,
2020 06:59AM ·
flag
With the photo someone sent me from the Antarctic base
library, I can say that my books are read on all seven
continents and the International Space Station!
ScottI have to
admit that I love this whole concept.
:-) Aug 27,
2020 11:15PM
David F.If one
person sold it to another, you might well be one
of the bestselling authors in orbit, in addition
to any Earth records! Sep 06,
2020 09:05AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
If you scroll down the Amazon page of the book you are
interested in, on the left just under the box with the
yellow bars telling what percentage of reviews each
star ranking has, there is a box to click on labeled
"write a customer review". Click on it, and it will
take you to a page labeled "create review" with a
composition pane. It should be self-evident from
there.
Jonathan
PalfreyOn
Goodreads, if you go to any book and scroll down,
you'll see a button "Write a review" just above
the existing review. Just click the button and
wrOn Goodreads, if you go to
any book and scroll down, you'll see a button
"Write a review" just above the existing review.
Just click the button and write your own
review.
I used to write Amazon reviews at one time, but
later discovered that most of my reviews had been
deleted for no discernable reason, so I no longer
write Amazon reviews. I dislike wasting my
time....more Aug 22,
2020 10:37PM ·
flag
SusanI write my
reviews on GoodReads instead. Aug 26,
2021 09:17PM ·
flag
PatrickIf I may
bounce off this, speaking purely for
entertainment, if an author were to approach you
with an idea for such a book, would you allow
them to wIf I may bounce off this, speaking
purely for entertainment, if an author were to
approach you with an idea for such a book, would
you allow them to write it, or do you prefer to
work on your series alone?...more Aug 25,
2020 01:56PM ·
flag
Lois BujoldNope. My
series is mine, and will remain so till pried out
of my cold dead hands. Depending on what
instructions I leave my executors, maybe not
evenNope. My series is mine, and will
remain so till pried out of my cold dead hands.
Depending on what instructions I leave my
executors, maybe not even then.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
A whole lot of little subliminal (and not so
subliminal) things adding up gradually, but probably
the final test was when Bel leaned in and kissed Mark,
and got a very un-Miles-like reaction.
Their flirting was a practiced near-joke by that time,
and Miles normally would have ducked and passed it off
with a laugh, not panicked and frozen.
Talli
RuksasAnd
referring to Mark as Miles's clone - unless that
was a test by that point.And referring to Mark as Miles's
clone - unless that was a test by that
point....more Aug 25,
2020 09:21PM ·
flag
Kalen
DelaneyYes,
Talli, that is my memory also. In fact, I am
rereading Mirror Dance now, but haven't got to
the part where Miles talks to Bel. But I seem to
remeYes, Talli, that is my memory
also. In fact, I am rereading Mirror Dance now,
but haven't got to the part where Miles talks to
Bel. But I seem to remember that when Miles asks
Bel how he knew, Bel said it was because he
referred to Mark (in the guise of Miles) as 'your
clone' and Mark didn't correct him. But again as
Talli suggests, there would have been suspicions
already and that was the final test....more Aug 31,
2020 09:30AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldSo
I am apprised. But if you are willing to accept a world
with living gods, chaos demons, shamanic beasts,
magical healing, and Temple sorcerers, you can probably
stretch it to include some albinos with red eyes.
Adelis's eye color, post Penric, is definitely the
result of magical foolery.
(Also, a leopard gecko is a much less alarming namesake
than, say, children.)
MelissaI
stand (partially) corrected. I didn't know human
albinos with actually red-looking eyes were
possible. I did know about the bad vision thing.
My friI stand (partially) corrected. I
didn't know human albinos with actually
red-looking eyes were possible. I did know about
the bad vision thing. My friend is legally blind,
though he is definitely not seeing-eye-dog level
blind, he can read (large print) and so on.
The blindness, iirc, is caused by the role
melanin normally plays in the development of the
optic nerve....more Sep 15,
2020 11:49PM ·
flag
CarroSo I just
have to ask - the leopard gecko - was it Lois, or
the full Lois McMaster Bujold? Oct 01,
2020 06:58AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Depends on what you mean by "first"; I've had many,
starting from a writing assignment in third grade,
going on through junior high efforts that would be
called fanfiction today (the term was not to my
knowledge invented yet in the early 60s, tho' it
wouldn't be long), through to my first finished
professional novelette that didn't sell, through to my
first novel that did. Much of this is covered here:
https://www.amazon.com/Sidelines-Essa... I'd direct
you particularly to the occasional essay titled "My
First Novel" for an answer at some length.
I was trying to write from very early on, though I lost
track of myself for several long stretches in there. It
took till my early thirties to claim that identity with
sufficient determination to see it through.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It's not up to me, alas. Some producer with a ton o'
cash for making media would need to license it.
It's the ton o' cash part that's the choke point on all
these ideas. Stories are many, experienced producers
are rare, and they are the only people who can actually
make the choices.
Shane
CastleThen of
course there’s Miles Gloriosus... (A Funny Thing
Happened On The Way To The Forum) Sep 03,
2020 10:35AM ·
flag
Tanya KI've
never heard of this book either but it's now been
added to the ever-growing To Be Read list for
this supposedly Miles-like protagonist. That's
anI've never heard of this
book either but it's now been added to the
ever-growing To Be Read list for this supposedly
Miles-like protagonist. That's an instant point
of interest for me in anything....more Sep 08,
2020 11:29AM ·
flag
FaranaeSomeone
put together a graph for the sake of a pun, but
it includes the interesting little nugget that
the name "Miles" increases in popularity
afterSomeone put together a graph for
the sake of a pun, but it includes the
interesting little nugget that the name "Miles"
increases in popularity after the Vorkosigan
books were first published (the very big spike
being after "Into the Spiderverse" with Miles
Morales as Spidey).
https://twitter.com/lunasorcery/statu...
People who study these things still haven't
figured out if these kinds of correlations are
because authors are likely to follow the same
trends as parents for naming, or because parents
are influenced by popular media. It's probably at
least a little of both....more Sep 06,
2020 06:25AM ·
flag
Susan PriceWe have a
granddaughter named Ekaterin, which is a lovely
name. May she be as smart and feisty as the
character for whom she is named! Sep 07,
2020 05:41AM ·
flag
It is, however, available on Kindle, Nook, and iTunes.
I know you can download the free Kindle reading app to
most devices, and be reading in minutes; I would guess
the same goes for the other two platforms. So I don't
think you are actually cut off from my ebooks except by
your own choice.
Deb FJust so
you know, he's not the only one making this
choice. I too avoid Amazon on principal, and I
don't do Apple products. Which might leave Nook -
eJust so you know, he's not
the only one making this choice. I too avoid
Amazon on principal, and I don't do Apple
products. Which might leave Nook - except, of
course, it doesn't.
https://teleread.org/2018/07/15/nook-......more Sep 13,
2020 03:19AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nothing more in the Sharing Knife series is planned at
this time. I expect a bit more from Penric & Desdemona
from the Five Gods, in due course.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nothing gets rid of flies, especially in a world of
abundant animal manure. Trust me (and Mark Twain) on
this point. And our world has been going after
mosquitoes for decades with every tool imaginable, with
very little impact. I really don't think a handful of
sorcerers are going to make a dent in these very
resilient species.
Actually, sorcery ought to be more eco-friendly than
our insecticides, since it can be directed to the
single biting disease-bearing pest, and leave
everything else untouched.
Jonathan
PalfreyBear in
mind that he may be killing flies every day, and
he might stay in one place for months or years.
Yes, there would be a more-or-less constant
iBear in mind that he may be
killing flies every day, and he might stay in one
place for months or years. Yes, there would be a
more-or-less constant inflow of flies into the
area from neighbouring areas; the question really
is how many flies does he kill every day, and how
does it compare with the number of incoming
flies? But these are all unknown
quantities....more Sep 11,
2020 11:06AM ·
flag
ScottYes, but
I'll go back to my water from the ocean analogy.
He might be able to dry up a beach area but
there's an ocean on the outskirts just waiting
fYes, but I'll go back to my
water from the ocean analogy. He might be able to
dry up a beach area but there's an ocean on the
outskirts just waiting for him to leave even if
he kills thousands. He might have small local
impacts in long running (or, more rather standing
in his case) locations like slower decomposition
rates but he's not a walking eco-disaster. Now a
town or even a large family of Pen's would be a
problem because they can spread so far but, given
the "demon's can't stand each other", it's not a
likely fictional problem. Either way, nature is
amazingly resilient. I'm reminded by my local
wildfires at the moment that many insects die off
in large quantities during some "natural
disasters" but they always come back; hence the
"roaches will still be here when there's nothing
left but rocks" meme. I can't imagine Pen's
sacrifices being a problem unless he works his
way up to larger, slower multiplying animals.
Killing all the rats or crows in a 5 mile radius
might have long term consequences because they
take longer to replace but even they'd come back
eventually. Time is only a problem for the
singular organism after all, the group marches on
implacably as long as there's a reasonable amount
of remaining DNA sources for interbreeding, a
sufficient food supply, and a place to stay alive
long enough to replicate....more Sep 11,
2020 11:26AM ·
flag
DerekFascinating
Ashleigh, thanks for sharing! Follow-up question,
Lois, if you're willing - after watching that
video is it somewhat similar to the effectFascinating Ashleigh, thanks for
sharing! Follow-up question, Lois, if you're
willing - after watching that video is it
somewhat similar to the effect you imagined?
Sure, the mechanics of why/how it happens are
still a mystery, but does it _feel_ about
right?...more Sep 15,
2020 10:50PM ·
flag
JerriI have
always assumed that the name was further
indication of the colonization from Old Earth,
and that some early Jackson's Whole resident
either hadI have always assumed that the
name was further indication of the colonization
from Old Earth, and that some early Jackson's
Whole resident either had some tie to the Wyoming
town or was named Jackson, and so it went....more Sep 14,
2020 10:43AM
Mary SilcoxThank
you! Nice to know the context. Sep 19,
2020 04:06PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't believe so. Any translated audio books would
have to be arranged through their French publishers,
not me, so you'd need to ask them.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
In the ten years before he went to Lodi and then
Cedonia, some such must have happened in some form, if
brief. A sister's wedding, perhaps, or some business
that took Rolsch to Martensbridge. Pen might/might not
have made it to his mother's funeral -- a hundred miles
(each way) was farther at that tech level. There would
certainly have been exchanges of letters. But Pen would
be increasingly growing away from the concerns of
Jurald Court; interesting to him but not vital
anymore.
You will not have a long wait for new Penric news, but
not quite yet.
Talli
RuksasYay. I'm
sure most of us could use some good news like
thatYay. I'm sure most of us could use
some good news like that...more Sep 30,
2020 04:29PM
JerriMany
thanks. The new Penric News arrived more rapidly
than I had expected! Looking forward to visiting
Lodi. Oct 07,
2020 08:27AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I usually run a Goodreads blog post soon after e-pub,
for both spoiler fan-discussion space, and typo
reportage. It's a good system to both avoid
duplication, and collect all the errata in one place.
So that's the best place to report to save things from
being lost in any of my several shuffles.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'm always pleased to learn that another writer likes
my work. And surprised -- I know how tight their time
and attention are to devote to other writers' works.
...Naming no names right now because it's first thing
in the morning and I haven't had my tea yet, but there
have been several, over the years. Well, Catherine
Asaro comes to mind because she got me to write a
novella for her romance-SF crossover anthology. Which
is how you all came to have "Winterfair Gifts".
John"Winterfair
Gifts" vies with "Mountains of Mourning" as my
favorite LMB short story. Roic and Taura well
deserved their star turn."Winterfair Gifts" vies with
"Mountains of Mourning" as my favorite LMB short
story. Roic and Taura well deserved their star
turn....more Oct 14,
2020 06:34AM ·
flag
ScottDoesn't
Ben Aaronovitch deserve mention here too? BTW,
many thanks for recommending both him and T
Kingfisher. They're both great story tellers with
fDoesn't Ben Aaronovitch
deserve mention here too? BTW, many thanks for
recommending both him and T Kingfisher. They're
both great story tellers with fully rounded
characters and wonderful humor....more Oct 15,
2020 02:35PM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I've recently reread Curse of Chalion.
Thank you for that book; it's one of my favorites. A
thought did occur to me while reading it. Was the "drop
of the Father's blood" that was given to the Golden
General part of a conflict between the Father and the
Bastard? My thinking on this is that by spilling His
ineffable divinity to a Quadrene, he would be interfering
with the worship of the Bastard. (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldThis reminds me, having just
rewatched Good Omens, of the dispute between the
Great Plan, and the Ineffable Plan.
Carol
CooperI hadn't
realised - thanks for the heads up. I'll wait
until it's in PB, but it doesn't give any info on
when that is due.I hadn't realised - thanks for the
heads up. I'll wait until it's in PB, but it
doesn't give any info on when that is due....more Oct 25,
2020 08:53AM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Some of your characters are in
nonstandard forms of romance; like an open marriage or
polyamory. For example: Jole, Cordelia, and Aral.
Arisaydia and Nikys' parents. Pen, Des, and Nikys
together. And potentially Arisaydia, Tanar, and Bosha.
Did you plan on highlighting other forms of romance or
did it just happen with the plot? As a bisexual person I
have found these representations heartening and
encouraging. Thanks! (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'm very glad you find my work heartening, but I do
have to say I didn't start out to represent anything
but the characters themselves. All sorts of characters,
in all sorts of situations (that interest me, a
necessary caveat), revealing themselves and their
stories to me as I write them.
I do think that readers generally pick out and respond
to aspects of any tale that resonate with them,
regardless of how complex the tale may be. The obvious
negative form of this is triggering, or special
individual allergies to whatever story element it may
be; the less obvious positive form is loving a work for
particular elements it presents despite what else it
contains. I compare this with how one person's hearing
may be especially sensitive or muted in some specific
range of frequencies.
Reading a wide range of reviews of the same work gives
insight into this effect. All reading the same words,
responses wildly varied; therefore, what's happening
can't be in the words themselves, but in that other
half of the text-reader partnership. (The half the
writer can't control, I note.)
HeatherThank you
for your answer. Oct 18,
2020 11:47AM ·
flag
Kathy KSAnd I want
to thank you for your characterizations. As a
woman that has been reading science fiction (and
fantasy) since early grade school (and
closeAnd I want to thank you for your
characterizations. As a woman that has been
reading science fiction (and fantasy) since early
grade school (and close to your own age), it took
me awhile to realize that my favorite titles had
the better-drawn characters.
Your books clicked from the beginning... not only
the characters, but the machinations of Miles'
thinking and subsequent actions. But this applies
to all of yours....more Oct 18,
2020 12:45PM ·
flag
Willow
ThomsonIt is so
interesting to read reviews. People could be
reading completely different books. Oct 18,
2020 02:40PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Short request is, Don't, but more helpfully, any
Goodreads member whom I have friended can use the GR
private messaging system to send email within the
system. The trick, it turns out, is that one must have
been friended to make the address box populate. This
isn't hard to achieve, since I friend pretty much
anyone who asks, there being too many to vet.
If you feel you must use the Q&A for this
off-label purpose, please make it clear the message is
not meant to be publicly posted, and be aware I have no
way of answering.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
As of tonight, 10/21, the upload attempted last
Thursday has still not emerged on the other end.
Repeated attempts to reupload have run afoul of various
blockages. B&N's system won't allow another upload
of the same thing, I'm told, though once it does go
through, updates should be possible, we hope.
So yep, we know, but the problem isn't one we can solve
from our side. We'll keep trying, but it may be awhile.
(Think of how long paper publishing takes...)
SusanGlad to
hear you've made the attempt - sounds as if it's
up to B&N now. I hope they get their act
together soon!Glad to hear you've made the
attempt - sounds as if it's up to B&N now. I
hope they get their act together soon!...more Oct 22,
2020 09:13PM ·
flag
ChristineAny
chance of the Penric novellas been added to
Kobo? Oct 24,
2020 06:14AM ·
flag
PatI actually
broke down and bought a Kindle (long time Nook
user, here) in order to read Lodi. And it was
worth it. Nov 14,
2020 12:05PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
(Writing at the end of October 2020): The novella has
only just been offered to SubPress, ink not dry on the
contract, so nothing definitive there yet. Since there
are now 3 loose novellas, enough to make up market
weight in word-count, I would hope for another omnibus
someday, but the earliest that could happen is one year
after the last SubPress volume is published.
My next thing due out from SubPress is "The Physicians
of Vilnoc", which has been scheduled for release July
2021.
It's likewise only just been offered to Blackstone for
audio, too soon for any news from that quarter as well.
I'll post it on my blog if/when there is.
We've only placed the first of the e-text novellas,
"Penric's Demon", on Overdrive so far, along with a
handful of other titles for experiment. They remain
available as far as I know. Sales have been
disappointing compared to the extended hassle of
getting them up to Overdrive's specs, so I don't think
we'll be doing that as an indie again. The regular
publishers and Blackstone have their own
arrangements.
Remember the Baen paper versions for your libraries,
please!
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Saints of the Son are not impossible (that shaman in
"Penric and the Shaman" was nearly one, functionally)
but they would be rare. As are all saints, really. But
Pen is more professionally likely to run into them than
most folks would be; a biased sampler, as it were.
I have no idea what may turn up in a future story. I
generally have to write them to find out, myself.
This
question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Hi! Not sure if this has been asked
before, but I was just re-reading Memory, and it struck
me as strange that Illyan's name shares the first few
letters with Illyrica, where he got his chip. I know you
based Illyan's name on Illya Kuryakin, so is this
similarity just a coincidence? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Just a coincidence. I tend to gravitate to certain
names or syllable collections as seeming euphonious to
me, which, if I'm not careful, can lead to inadvertent
duplications. Illyrica iirc is a variant on Illyria,
which is or was a real place. I think. I got it out of
Shakespeare, so not swearing to its historicity.
Jonathan
PalfreyAs we can
all easily discover from the Web, Illyria was an
region that existed for centuries in
pre-Christian antiquity, stretching from modern
CroatiAs we can all easily discover from
the Web, Illyria was an region that existed for
centuries in pre-Christian antiquity, stretching
from modern Croatia down to Albania. It was of
course conquered by the Romans....more Oct 29,
2020 01:45AM ·
flag
Typos in printed books are beyond correction, natch. If
it's a recent e-edition, well, maybe, but it involves
putting my e-handler through a hassle. But there is
space for typo reportage in the spoiler-discussion
posts I put up on my blog after every new e-work. You
could stick it in there, I suppose, even if it's not
for the story under discussion. Keeping it all in one
place is good. (Actual discussion of the stories is
even better. I notice folks tend to get pretty
distracted by minutia. Not sure just why.)
SusanOne of the
reasons I'm not fond of ebooks. In my own printed
books, I make the corrections myself!One of the reasons I'm not fond of
ebooks. In my own printed books, I make the
corrections myself!...more Nov 05,
2020 10:43PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Though I'm glad you continue to enjoy my books, I'm not
sure what you are asking. Historical Venice, or indeed
any historical place, is there for any writer to raid
for inspiration.
SoftnessI like
this writer named Bujold too! *wink* Oct 30,
2020 09:13AM ·
flag
ChristianeI think
the question might be "Do you ever find that
elements of what you're reading seep into what
you're writing?" The likelihood of it occurring
isI think the question might
be "Do you ever find that elements of what you're
reading seep into what you're writing?" The
likelihood of it occurring is probably higher
with the influence of re-reads/favorites rather
than something you just happen to be
reading....more Mar 19,
2021 02:35PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
If the Goodreads messaging system doesn't work for you,
which is what I prefer for private messages on
Goodreads, I have a semi-public e-mail addy as
lois@dendarii.com
More generally, using the Author Q&A for private
messages creates dilemmas, and I'd rather folks
didn't.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes and yes, but I won't clutter things trying to list
them. This seems like a better game for the commenters,
chiming in below. More room for them there.
JohnI can't
remember the exact words, but Miles correcting
Mark(?) or maybe Galen about Cordelia, "She has
always put people before principles."I can't remember the exact words,
but Miles correcting Mark(?) or maybe Galen about
Cordelia, "She has always put people before
principles."...more Dec 16,
2020 09:07AM
Mary SilcoxThis one
always gets me in the feels: "And the Bastard
grant us... in our direst need, the smallest
gifts: the nail of the horseshoe, the pin of the
aThis one always gets me in
the feels: "And the Bastard grant us... in our
direst need, the smallest gifts: the nail of the
horseshoe, the pin of the axle, the feather at
the pivot point, the pebble at the mountain's
peak, the kiss in despair, the one right
word."...more Mar 25,
2022 03:33PM
ScottSpeaking
of favorite lines, just thinking of Gregor's in
Aftermath's brings tears to my eyes. Thank you
Lois.Speaking of favorite lines, just
thinking of Gregor's in Aftermath's brings tears
to my eyes. Thank you Lois....more Nov 12,
2020 12:58PM ·
flag
Marti
DolataI still
thin some of your best work was the Aftermath to
your first book. I never fail to be moved by the
care for the dead there, no matter how
oftenI still thin some of your best
work was the Aftermath to your first book. I
never fail to be moved by the care for the dead
there, no matter how often I've reread it.
Spoiler - Perhaps because it was about the
Forgotten after every conflict and really brought
home the true cost of war in the sorrow of the
technician. My heart breaks every time she
alludes to the lost future of her daughter by
placing her next to Commander VorKalloner....more Nov 12,
2020 08:39PM ·
flag
Judy R.I
would love to see a continuation on Sergyar to do
with Jole's aquatic research -- rather thought
LMB was intrigued, by the amount of development
sheI would love to see a
continuation on Sergyar to do with Jole's aquatic
research -- rather thought LMB was intrigued, by
the amount of development she put into it, more
than just character dev. Miles could suggest
enlisting Guppy from Diplomatic Immunity....more Apr 24,
2021 05:10PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
My input has varied wildly over the years, from none to
much, and a lot of experiment has shown that how much
input I have has no relationship to how satisfactory
the outcome is. Regardless of what you ask artists for
(especially in words), what you get back will be
related to the pictures in their heads, or maybe their
favorite reference materials, and not at all to the
pictures in yours. Words are nearly useless; giving
them pictures helps some (an old tip from Jim Baen) but
not much. It's a crap shoot.
I had the same amount of input to all four of the
Sharing Knife, covers, same artist. What I got
back was never the picture in my head I'd started out
with, and sometimes not even what prelim sketches had
led me to expect.
When one has been handed a finished painting, there is
very little that can be done to revise it. First, the
artist, who imagined it was just fine, gets very cranky
about being asked to go back, and not only because they
aren't being paid for that. Note also another limit is
that all paper book covers are contracted, ordered, and
paid for by the publisher, not the writer.
I've also noticed a phenomenon in myself which I've
mentally dubbed "rearranging the deck chairs on the
Titanic." If I'm presented with a piece of art
that is Just Wrong, I'll fix upon little details that
seem easy to repaint, getting pickier and pickier about
them as they fail to fix the underlying problem. (And
getting the artist more and more irritated, as one
naturally would be.) The real solution is to
sink the whole boat and start over, which I can only do
if I'm paying for it (twice), and there is no hard
publication deadline. I've done this once, to good
effect, but that was very far into my lifelong learning
process. I should do an illustrated blog post about
that one, some slow day.
Artists will argue that covers are just advertisements,
little billboards that have done their job if they get
the prospective purchaser to pick up, or pick out, the
book, and the details don't matter. I argue that they
are the very first moment of the reading experience
just as much as the opening page of text, coloring the
reader's expectations about what comes after. Wrong
covers start the readers off on the wrong foot, from
which they may not easily recover.
CelticI enjoyed
your description of the reasons/process behind
the more abstract design for your ebook covers,
though I'm still a fan of full illustration
aI enjoyed your description
of the reasons/process behind the more abstract
design for your ebook covers, though I'm still a
fan of full illustration and agree with you that
a good cover is part of the experience. So can I
be the first to say 'Yes. Please" to "an
illustrated blog post about that one, some slow
day"?...more Nov 28,
2020 07:18AM ·
flag
SusanI tend to
buy books based on the author's name or
recommendations from friends, rather than covers.
E.g., I love Anne McCaffrey so I still bought
thatI tend to buy books based on the
author's name or recommendations from friends,
rather than covers. E.g., I love Anne McCaffrey
so I still bought that awful SFBC cover where the
dragons had steering wheels! And I've never
bothered to replace it -- it's the words I care
about....more Apr 28,
2023 12:36AM ·
flag
A tip, follow-up comments to Q&As are better placed
in the comments section following, so they don't get
separated from the thing they refer to. Unless you
select the "newest first" button, entries are
randomized.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
There are dozens of real-world places named Lodi,
mostly I suspect after the original one in Italy. I'd
selected the city name somewhat idly back when it was
just a throw-away line in an earlier Penric story, with
no expectation of its ever becoming a live setting,
because it sounded suitably Italianate, implying but
without obviously being Venice. And so I was stuck with
it. (Same goes for the planet Jackson's Whole, btw. No,
it never had a hidden meaning, it was just a bit of
word-play.)
Glad you enjoyed the story! The filched canal-city
setting-inspiration was a lot of fun, once I got down
to it, and suggested all kinds of useful plot
developments.
Jonathan
PalfreyHm, I
should never have tried to describe pronunciation
in terms of English words, because there are so
many different English accents, and the
vowelHm, I should never have tried to
describe pronunciation in terms of English words,
because there are so many different English
accents, and the vowel sounds change so much from
one to another. My own accent is vaguely from the
south of England, but there are many different
accents even in the south of England. Juli's
spoken examples are helpful; they sound to me
more like 'body' than 'moldy', but evidently we
all say these words differently....more Nov 13,
2020 04:20PM ·
flag
VoralfredI always
thought that Lodi was not an allusion to an
Italian city of that exact name, but a pun on the
venetian island Lido, just as I took Agenno
asI always thought that Lodi
was not an allusion to an Italian city of that
exact name, but a pun on the venetian island
Lido, just as I took Agenno as a pun on Genoa,
Patos on Patras, Adria on the Adriatic Sea,
Cedonia for (Ma)cedonia the start of Alexander's
Empire, Westria for Austria. Some of the other
names are harder to find correspondences for.
Vilnoc for (Dub)Lovnic = japanese for (Dub)Rovnic
?????? Grabyat does beat me, though, as well as
Carpagamo....more Jan 02,
2021 04:23PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I've not read The Road, so I can't compare and
contrast. But everyone processes the same work of
fiction differently, sometimes by a little, sometimes
by a lot. So the answer, if any, is more likely to be
found in you than in me.
Other readers may have insights on the question to
offer, below.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Sure. People can convince themselves of
anything. And the appearances of the gods are
usually subtle, through the material world or in
visions and dreams, uncheckable by outside observers.
(The Temples do have systems for sensitives to check
each other, which reduces false positives and negatives
greatly -- much, much harder for witch-hunts or
spiritual con artists to gain traction -- but a
sufficiently determined person could dismiss this.)
ChrisJust to
say I have wondered this too. Thanks for the
question, and thanks for the answer. This year
has shown me that people can believe anything,
eveJust to say I have wondered
this too. Thanks for the question, and thanks for
the answer. This year has shown me that people
can believe anything, even in the face of
overwhelming evidence to the contrary...more Nov 22,
2020 08:45AM
Ayup. In my observation, it seems people don't
form their beliefs from evidence and reason, but
from an interplay of osmosis from the
belief@ Chris --
Ayup. In my observation, it seems people don't
form their beliefs from evidence and reason, but
from an interplay of osmosis from the beliefs of
people around them, and their own psychological
needs. So if you want to change people's beliefs,
you'd need to change their psychological
needs.
Interesting effects when the matrix of belief in
which people find themselves embedded is a strong
mismatch to their needs; people who break away
from cults being only one example.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
SubPress is sold out, but Hugo's can still get a few
copies, signed, in either trade or leatherbound. Since
copies are priced at $295 out in the general
collectable resale market (well, the one copy I see for
sale on Amazon, not that anyone's biting at that
price), it will probably be offered at above list
price, but not that high. Check with Hugo's by email
and see what they can do for you.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I've been asked before, not least by my publisher, and
the short answer is No. Riding herd on such an
enterprise is way, way more work that most people
realize, and it is antithetical to the way my creative
process works.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
never decided this question, though I expect Gregor had
to. Miles is not on the list. Leaving aside persons in
Gregor's more extended family tree not mentioned in
text, the most probable candidate is Ivan, with Aral as
Regent/advisor. It's possible they got Aral to sit
still for this threat in trade for promising Miles
would be kept out.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, I'm afraid I don't. I always got along with crit
groups and writer-friends with whom I traded, and still
trade, test-reads.
One does need to learn to edit oneself, because no one
else can really know just what story you're trying to
tell, but that's a lifelong learning process.
Peggy BI would
be willing to take it on. I’m a college professor
who has worked with international students having
troubles getting their writtenEnglish intoI would be willing to take it on.
I’m a college professor who has worked with
international students having troubles getting
their writtenEnglish into regular sounding
English. I am also bored out of my mind with
Covid restrictions so I’d like to take a
challenge now. I’ve done beta readings for
fantasy novels and editing on academic work such
as articles, theses, and dissertations. Best of
all, I will do it for free. (Remember - bored,
want a challenge.)...more Dec 05,
2020 08:13AM ·
flag
Stjepan
CobetsHi
Peggy,
I sent you a message on your page :) Dec 05,
2020 02:25PM ·
flag
BrzkThank
you!
This one is priced at 35USD, so hopefully the
wait won't be long now.Thank you!
This one is priced at 35USD, so hopefully the
wait won't be long now....more Dec 04,
2020 10:25AM
No, I have made no decisions about Pen & Des's future/s
beyond what is set in print -- as of this answer, "The
Physicians of Vilnoc" is still the latest in their
timeline.
Jonathan
PalfreyDesdemona
would have to live another century to meet Foix.
This is of course possible, but betting on it
wouldn't seem a sound investment.
FurthermoreDesdemona would have to live
another century to meet Foix. This is of course
possible, but betting on it wouldn't seem a sound
investment. Furthermore, I wouldn't bet on her
author either documenting a century of further
adventures, or deciding to skip over it and refer
to it briefly in flashback. It seems to me that
the three ages of the World of the Five Gods were
placed that far apart with the intention of
keeping them separate. However, there are no
certainties about the future of a fictional
series: authors can make decisions on
whim....more Dec 09,
2020 12:38AM ·
flag
greenladyI
did the math once, and I think it is possible
that Penric could live long enough to see the
rise of the Golden General. It would be
interesting seeiI did the math once, and I think
it is possible that Penric could live long enough
to see the rise of the Golden General. It would
be interesting seeing those events on the page,
especially from Pen and Des's POV....more Dec 14,
2020 05:41AM ·
flag
Susan PriceLois, I'm
eternally grateful for *whatever* you chose to
write, and I hope you are able to continue
writing for a long time to come!Lois, I'm eternally grateful for
*whatever* you chose to write, and I hope you are
able to continue writing for a long time to
come!...more Dec 05,
2022 04:51AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It was from a Vietnam wartime anecdote told to me by a
vet -- in the original, his squad was down to oatmeal
and Thousand Island dressing, but I thought blue cheese
might be even worse.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
iBooks/iTunes and Nook both have it. They and Kindle
are the only three authorized sellers of the e-version
of this short novella. I believe Blackstone's audio
edition may be on a few more vendor sites, and in some
libraries.
Subterranean Press is sold out of their limited
hardcover; the second-hand market is bidding it up to
rather startling asking prices at the moment.
CalebI loved
TOS and TNG. Started falling away with DS9 and
Voyager (Voyager only because I started getting
busy with college/work/family). Now I'm going
tI loved TOS and TNG. Started
falling away with DS9 and Voyager (Voyager only
because I started getting busy with
college/work/family). Now I'm going to have to
start Discovery just for this one episode!...more Dec 18,
2020 11:58AM
JefferyThis
pandemic gave me an idea for a Cetagandan
genrations long plot Miles could foil. I could
see them altering their DNA to make them immune
to a manThis pandemic gave me an idea for
a Cetagandan genrations long plot Miles could
foil. I could see them altering their DNA to make
them immune to a manufactured virus that's lethal
to 'humans.' A plot they started long ago then
shelved, only to be revived by a few rebels...
like the ones who stoled the embryos... that want
to see the Cetagandan empire expand.
Miles could use the technology from the
Komarran's to destabilize the Cetagandan wormhole
to lock them in with their plague, it would be
harmless to them but no one could ever have
contact with them again.
...just a thought, there is so much that could be
explored in this universe!...more Dec 12,
2020 01:59PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, character, setting, and plot are always
interlocking, with feedback loops throughout, so that
comes with the fundamental structure of fiction.
Tolkien's famous quote about the difference between
allegory and applicability always struck me as cogent.
To save y'all the task of looking it up, it goes, "But
I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations,
and have always done so ever since I grew old and wary
enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history,
true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the
thought and experience of readers. I think many confuse
'applicability' with 'allegory'; but the one resides in
the freedom of the reader, and the other in the
purposed domination of the author."
I should be pleased if people find my work
applicable.
(I think this quote also nails the difference in
readerly perception of a story between "human insight"
and "preachiness".)
Judy R."Applicability"
-- right. That explains why most fantasy leaves
me bored; it's not relevant or useful."Applicability" -- right. That
explains why most fantasy leaves me bored; it's
not relevant or useful....more Apr 24,
2021 04:49PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'm not sure where you got that population figure, but
it wasn't from me. Too high. Some major cities are that
large, though. (Which isn't that large -- my home urban
area is something like 4 million, iirc.)
"Current" population of the planet is more than 50
million (that was its population back at the end of the
Time of Isolation), less than 500 million. Komarr has
maybe 1/10 the population of Barrayar. Sergyar, it's
been noted, is up to about 2 million, making Vicereine
Cordelia's administration roughly that of a mid-sized
Midwestern city.
MitaliI've
headcanoned the 'current' population of Barrayar
as being around 200 million. Thanks for
confirming that I'm in the right range.
My very back-of-tI've headcanoned the 'current'
population of Barrayar as being around 200
million. Thanks for confirming that I'm in the
right range.
My very back-of-the-envelope calculations are as
follows:
The Vorkosigan's District is said to have a
population of 'millions' (I don't remember which
book this is stated in). Taking the most
conservative estimate for 'millions', I estimated
that the District has a population around 2
million. However, it's one of the less densely
populated districts, as it's predominantly rural.
So perhaps the average population of a Barrayaran
district is slightly higher - let's say, 3
million. 60x3=180 million - that's roughly the
population of North Continent, not the whole of
Barrayar. However, South Continent is still being
terraformed and is sparsely populated, so it
probably doesn't have more than 10-20 million
people. There don't seem to be any other
significantly large or populated land areas
anywhere else on the planet. So its total
population is around 200 million.
Once again, that's a conservative estimate. But
it seems reasonable, given how keen Barrayarans
are on increasing their population and how
they're only about a century away from the 50
million population at the end of the Time of
Isolation (not to mention, the millions who died
during the Centagandan
invasion/occupation)....more Jan 05,
2021 05:33AM ·
flag
Nothing new is planned for the Vorkosigans at this
time, although if you want a somewhat different flavor
of Bujold, I'd point you at my fantasy works. The
Spirit Ring is a complete stand-alone. The Curse
of Chalion is probably the best place to start the
World of the Five Gods tales, although the novella
"Penric's Demon" is also a possibility, as it kicks off
a sub-series.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, it's been much too long since I broke in, and all
my experiences are out of date. But I send all persons
looking for writing advice to Pat Wrede's blog on the
subject. https://pcwrede.com/blog/
It has a search function that might allow you to hone
in on posts pertaining to your particular area of
interest.
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Along with everybody else, Thank You for
years of enjoyment with the stories about Mile and his
family. My question is are you going to continue with
Miles after the death of Aral at the end of Cryoburn?
Will there be another Miles adventure? (hide
spoiler)]
Nothing along those lines is planned at this time,
beyond the Ivan book and the Cordelia book that you
have presumably already seen, in which Miles, no doubt
to his dismay, gets only a supporting role, and the
"Vashnoi" novella ditto.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThat quote is at the present time
mis-attributed to many writers, including but not
limited to Zhou. I don't think this will get better in
the future. :-)
Private questions like these do not belong in my public
Q&A space, although you are not the first
frustrated GR user to resort to it. The way to
communicate on GR is first to request to be friended by
the person you are trying to reach, and then to use the
GR internal email system. Turns out you have to be
friended first in order to send a message, which is
non-obvious. After being friended, it should be
possible to get the person's GR addy to populate your
intended GR email, and send it.
Ta, L.
(Anyone with more tips to offer on this recurring
problem, feel free to chime in below in the
comments.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I rode horses quite a bit in my youth, but never tried
to transport baggage or weapons while doing so.
Military history from the Middle Ages or antiquity or,
for that matter, 19th C. cavalry might help. All the
pictures one sees show the rider holding the spear or
lance upright, often anchored on the stirrup, which
seems to me would tie up a hand; might be OK for
immediate deployment, but I don't think it would do for
distance travel. Swords did have saddle-mounted
scabbards.
Anyone with more info is invited to chime in below in
the comments section. There have to be pictures...
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Mm, I get my thoughts on paper, any old how, at the
notes-and-outlines pre-writing stage. Jotted in pencil
on lined paper in a 3-ring binder, which I keep around
my house open pretty much all the time when I'm into a
project, ready to capture passing thoughts. Pencil and
paper are, somehow, non-binding, allowing brainstorming
(or brain-drizzling, or brain light-Scotch-misting.) I
think of it as my prosthetic memory on paper, because
otherwise things would all evaporate before I needed to
remember them. I also do a certain amount of shoving
things around on paper to get them into a sensible
order.
When words actually start to flow, it's out of the
basis of this pre-writing. At that stage, I find it
enormously easier to do it right the first time than
try to fix it later. I hate doing revisions because,
first, my prose sets up like concrete and takes a
jackhammer to change, and second, I always worry I'm
making it worse not better. (I still revise, mind you,
as needed.)
Note that I do this in succeeding scene-sized chunks,
not the whole at once. By the end of a project, I'll
have accumulated about as many pages of scribbled notes
as I have of finished story.
However, more recently, I'm slipping more and more to
wholly paperless production, a medium in which fixing
becomes easier. I do way more micro-editing when I'm
working paperless. (As I have just spent several
minutes doing on this very answer.) I still need my
notes, but they've been getting sketchier.
So there isn't just one way for even one writer to do
things all the time.
As ever, I rec https://pcwrede.com/blog/
for the best stock of writing tips on the net. Don't
overlook the very useful search function.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, it's a quote -- but from my father, complaining
about my mother's overly frugal grocery buying habits.
(Not the only element of Vorthys inspired by my Dad;
engineering failure analyst, professor, and baggy suits
being some others.)
If my Dad picked it up from anywhere, I would not know,
but it would certainly have been long pre-internet.
Miles came from a number of braided sources, but his
beginning was in his parents' story (like everyone
else's, I suppose.) Before I'd finished my first novel,
before I knew his name or anything else, I knew Aral
and Cordelia would have a short, disabled son on
Barrayar but, given his parents, he'd probably be quite
bright. The energy and charisma, he generated for
himself as his story got rolling.
(Young Winston Churchill and T.E. Lawrence were two
other sources that contributed a few more elements, and
his Great Man's Son Syndrome owes some of its insight
to my relationship with my own father.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, nothing is planned at this time. It's the
most honest answer I can give, apart from "No." Which
would depress people unnecessarily, and beside might
turn out not to be true if some random neuron fires in
the unforeseen future and presents me with something
that has to be a VK story and nothing else. (One hasn't
fired yet.)
But I'm glad what I wrote in the past is still finding
love in the present! (Or the future, from my point of
view.)
I've always maintained that my uterine replicators
weren't science fiction, just unrealized engineering.
They don't require any counter-factual sciencey like my
FTL wormhole jumps.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
Covid-shelter like a guilty pleasure, I'm afraid. It
suits my reclusive tendencies all too well. Since I
remembered I could freeze milk, I go to the grocery
half as often and buy twice as much. The time it takes
to use up one half-gallon carton is about what it takes
for the next one to thaw in the fridge.
The writing hasn't been impaired, as one might guess
from the two novellas last year. I'd retired
anyway...
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, Turner, Aaronovitch, Pratchett, Wrede,
Kingfisher, and Heyer are all tastes of mine that seem
to have crossover for some of my readers. My "My Books"
link, above, has reviews of things I've read
lately.
For much older influences, Poul Anderson, Eric Frank
Russell, Randall Garrett, Fritz Leiber, Cordwainer
Smith for sure, and James H. Schmitz might all be
mentioned.
Not genre fiction, but Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,
which I reviewed somewhere in My Books, was a
profoundly excellent fairly recent read.
This seems like a game anyone can play -- I'd invite
folks to chime in below in the comments.
Norine
LukerHeyer is
still the ultimate reread. Sayers is up there
too. Yes to Kingfisher, Aaronovitch. Wrede,
Lieber. Newer joys include Jodi Taylor, Genevieve
CHeyer is still the ultimate
reread. Sayers is up there too. Yes to
Kingfisher, Aaronovitch. Wrede, Lieber. Newer
joys include Jodi Taylor, Genevieve Cogman, Ilona
Andrews...more Mar 31,
2021 01:48PM ·
flag
PatI quite
enjoy Rosemary Kirstein' s series - an
interesting take on Asimov's (?) comment that
advanced science would seem like magic to the
uninitiatedI quite enjoy Rosemary Kirstein' s
series - an interesting take on Asimov's (?)
comment that advanced science would seem like
magic to the uninitiated. And a strong female
character with a scientific mindset....more May 01,
2021 04:22PM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Dear Lois, thank you very much for all
your books! You're one of my favorite writers. Might be a
silly question (and answered somewhere way below my
scrolling abilities?): both in the Curse of Chalion and
in the Miles series, there is a "love" triangle between
the powerful man (Ias, Aral) and his wife/male friend. I
wonder whether this type of relation is inspired by some
famous historical examples? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, in Chalion, a lot of the family relationships
were lifted directly from 15th. C. Spanish court
history, which includes a lot of gossip about people's
love lives, true or not, much as the internet has. (It
does something to one's view of history to realize that
its written sources are just about that unreliable.)
There were a couple of weak kings in there who had
overly powerful and resented lordly supporters,
including Orico's model poor King Enrique IV. Coin flip
which members of a royal couple were accused of
adultery, but I'll give you one guess which generated
the most criticism.
Aral's situation grew more directly out of his own
psychology and the frustrated Betan-ness of his beloved
wife.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This was 22 years ago, and I can't remember what I had
for dinner last week, but anyway, the idea first
floated up back when I was devising the butterbugs for
A Civil Campaign -- what else could I do with
this tech? etc. The way termites reprocess and recycle
their landscapes played into it, and how their gut
bacteria works to break down otherwise indigestible
lignin.
There is also a touch of that fairy tale about how the
hero/ine is aided in a seemingly impossible sorting
task of some fine-grained mixture by friendly ants.
Also recommended: the PBS Nature episode "Radioactive
Wolves".
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Dreaming, I'm afraid. No such tale has ever been
written by me. (I can't speak to whatever fanfiction
may be sloshing around out there.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, Nikys and Penric don't have a problem with what
Nikys does now -- she's fully engaged with her busy
life. It's only the antipathy of the genre to
domesticity in general and caregivers in particular
that makes that what she's doing un-story-able.
Producing all the thread and fabric and clothing for
her household, ferex, is pretty interesting to the
maker, and perhaps to the fabric artists in the
audience, but it's not what most people tune in to a
fantasy tale for. Nor are the hour-to-hour tasks of
keeping small children from killing themselves. Nor is
gestation. Yet readers automatically expect grownup
infants to populate their stories, dressed, without
ever thinking about how they got there and how much
labor it took.
Pen, between adventures, sitting happily in his study
translating the same book into yet another language,
finds it a perfectly absorbing task to him (tho' Des is
getting pretty bored with it) but it couldn't be a
story either.
Stories happen in the interruptions, I guess. Plenty of
room for them in all sorts of spots in the timeline.
Especially if one isn't writing yet another
universe-saving War To End Wars (and the series.)
Though giving a woman with nursing infants or small
children bolted to her an adventure turns it into
something a lot less fun, more of a horror story, a
genre I don't care to explore at present. Though
arguably, Cordelia and Dubauer in Shards of
Honor might qualify. (Giving such a tale to a woman
with older children has been done from time to time --
readers could probably chime in below with examples.
Wrede's Caught in Crystal comes to mind. )
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, ideas come as they come for me, trailing in as
single spies not battalions. I just finished the next
Penric tale yesterday -- see my April 16th blog
post for details -- so there won't be anything else
started for a while. I'm looking forward to a summer
off, with some outdoors time...
Susan PriceBy
all means, take time to enjoy some lovely MN
outdoors! The whole Price family is very excited
about a new Penric story. Apr 30,
2021 11:13AM ·
flag
KathieWell
deserved time off. Enjoy. May 10,
2021 04:19PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
A third collection on paper is certainly possible, and
hoped-for, but it can't happen till Subterranean
Press's really quite short term of exclusive license
for the last story runs out. Which is "Masquerade in
Lodi", probably to be published as a limited hardcover
by SubPress sometime this coming winter. (I've seen the
preliminary cover art.) So no third collection before
2023.
I have a nice series title ready for it, anyway --
Penric's Labors.
Meanwhile, all three collections -- Penric's
Progress, Penric's Travels and Penric's
Labors -- are available now for foreign language
translation sales. With the novel to join them soon,
for a tidy package.
BrzkIt boils
down to exposure - the more you immerse youself
in the foreign language and environment (i.e.
culture), the better you'd learn to use it
flueIt boils down to exposure - the
more you immerse youself in the foreign language
and environment (i.e. culture), the better you'd
learn to use it fluently. If you are so inclined,
of course. For some people learning a language is
a dreadful chore, for others it's the greatest
pleasure. Since reading came first for me (before
audiobooks), I'm an example for those who prefer
the act of reading (whatever the language,
reading would come first). I am just recently
pushed towards audiobooks by factors totally
unrelated to personal preference - availability,
ease of access, the fact that much less focus is
required to listen to something while loading the
dishwasher than to sit somewhere quiet and read..
etc. Reading a book and listening to it are
profoundly different expieriences for me. Reading
in a foreign language for me was motivated by the
need to know what the author has said exactly and
how, without the filter of at least one
translation. Translations could be great, totally
adding to or enhancing a text, but could also be
very crippling. Again, Lois. Just wanted to be
able to read Lois's words directly (only through
the prism of her countless redactions). Goes for
any other language and for most of the fiction -
better to read the original than the translation,
if you could. A great translation is the second
best thing. I am aware that this is all common
sense and hardly a novelty for anyone, also
duplicates some of the comments before this one.
I am endlessly proud with the very few words I
know in French or Spanish, and since October last
year - with the totally uselles knowledge how to
build the plural form of nouns in Italian (since
I only know a few nouns, their plural forms are
of course of no use). Add to this some broken
English and German, which at least are
serviceable, and you will understand why, if i'd
known Spanish as a second language, being almost
bilingual, as some of the other comments have
mentioned, I would've been over the moon with joy
to have access to a throve of original literatute
in Spanish... If you have been so lucky to have
been gifted a language, use it......more Apr 21,
2021 01:05AM
Talli
RuksasI've
bought the ebook of one of my favorite Vorkosigan
books in Spanish but haven't jumped in yet. I was
thinking since I know it so well it might
notI've bought the ebook of one
of my favorite Vorkosigan books in Spanish but
haven't jumped in yet. I was thinking since I
know it so well it might not be as big a
struggle....more Apr 22,
2021 03:13AM
SteveLois, I
think I told you at the time that Jin as a
character was so real that you could start a new
series with him. (No, I'm not pushing. Just
pointiLois, I think I told you at the
time that Jin as a character was so real that you
could start a new series with him. (No, I'm not
pushing. Just pointing out good writing.)...more May 04,
2021 02:59PM ·
flag
Judy R.So,
Gentleman Jole's research colony could welcome
Jin (from Cryoburn) and Guppy (from Diplomatic
Immunity), for starters. Mix in Miles' and
EkaterineSo, Gentleman Jole's research
colony could welcome Jin (from Cryoburn) and
Guppy (from Diplomatic Immunity), for starters.
Mix in Miles' and Ekaterine's kids. Possibilities
abound....more Jul 22,
2021 10:42AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, although less for current usage than that I turned
out to want the neutral pronoun a decade later much
more for the biologically sexless ba. Well, different
planets, different strokes...
English is desperately in need of a
gender-neutral singular pronoun, and I wish SF
back then had evolved some consensus on one that would
have become common coin and leaked out into the culture
at large, so we wouldn't be stuck now with the
repurposed and confusing "they". There were a wide
variety of tries at it, but no compelling uniformity
was reached.
(And while I'm at it, I long for the equivalent
of the Japanese gender-neutral "sensei", meaning a
person having mastery in a skill. Because "mistress"
does not mean at all the same thing as "master", and
"master" trails yet other baggage.)
Bel actually started as futuristic furniture, just
something for Miles to trip over in that first scene
back in The Warrior's Apprentice (written 1984.)
But then the herm regained consciousness, opened its
mouth, and started to talk, pretty instantly becoming a
person, and that was that.
Jonathan
PalfreyPicking up
on the subject of the Japanese gender-neutral
"sensei": if you want a word that serves as
"sensei" does, why not use "sensei"? The
EnglishPicking up on the subject of the
Japanese gender-neutral "sensei": if you want a
word that serves as "sensei" does, why not use
"sensei"? The English language is largely made up
of words imported from other languages; it could
tolerate another import, I suppose....more Dec 19,
2021 11:41AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyHowever,
it occurs to me that English already has at least
one word for a person having mastery of a skill:
"expert".However, it occurs to me that
English already has at least one word for a
person having mastery of a skill:
"expert"....more Dec 19,
2021 11:43AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldMuch too large a question to
answer in this tiny typing box. The major viewpoint
characters have to have appeal, or I won't be
interested enough to write about them . As a rule of
thumb, I like characters, in my own work and that of
others, who are laboring on a road toward redemption.
Barr from The Sharing Knife ferex, started out
in a pretty deep narrative hole, but he grew on me as
he gradually started to Learn Better.
A sense of humor or sly wit is always a good sell, not
to mention invaluable in bringing snap to the dialogue.
Intelligence natch, though intelligence without
humor... is mainly funny from the outside.
This question seems like a game anyone could play.
Anyone else who cares to compare their answers in the
comments, feel free.
BrzkJust
realised ... it's initiative for me, or rather
characters acting with their own initiative.
Nothing shows intentions and one's true merit
betterJust realised ... it's initiative
for me, or rather characters acting with their
own initiative. Nothing shows intentions and
one's true merit better than one's actions. Or in
other words, the famous forward momentum is what
makes a character appealing to me. Not just
reacting to or giving in to one's fate and
circumstances, and not just making the best out
of a situation, but actively, messily pursuing
one's path in life. We grew apart with Miles,
with time. At one point it felt too organic a
connection. Doubtless so for many other readers.
So give me an active character any time, a
villain, a fool, an ungly wretch, and I will find
a way to connect with the story. Give me a stale
figure, a prop in the story, hide all motivation
and impulse, and this story is beyond redemption.
Not an error Lois would ever allow, after all, it
is Lois who is famous for writing characters. And
the reason why there are t-shirts with "forward
momentum" printed on them. Sigh. One question I
will someday ask Lois is how does she stay sane,
coherent, logical and efficient in this world.
Suspect the simple answer will be "superiority of
the mind and discipline". Sigh....more May 06,
2021 12:46AM ·
flag
Jonathan
Palfrey"You are
old," said the youth, "one would hardly
suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your
nose—
What made"You are old," said the youth,
"one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your
nose—
What made you so awfully clever?"
"I have answered three questions, and that is
enough,"
Said his father; "don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such
stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs!"
🙂...more May 06,
2021 02:32PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Long years of self-training and self-editing meant it
was already my custom to turn in manuscripts as
camera-ready as possible. (I prefer to get most of my
editing in before the story is done, because I'll be
too tired and wired at the finish line to do a good
job.) So I don't hire anyone, relying instead on my
circle of test readers as before; some fellow writers
with whom I trade crit, some old friends whom I just
exploit. People drop in or out of this small circle as
per their interest and time.
I publish through my long-time literary agency (I've
been with Spectrum since 1989), who has a tech wizard
who does all the formatting and uploading for me. I
could learn how to do that but I'm glad I don't have
to. Spectrum also collates the proceeds and sends them
on in tidy monthly lumps, and handles the subrights
sales -- audio, paper reprints, foreign translation
sales. So they fully earn their 15%.
In our early outings, said tech wizard and I devised
the covers ourselves, which was a valuable learning
experience for us both, but now that it's clear the
ebooks will pay for the outlay, I hire out the cover
art to a pro, also a long-time friend, at his standard
(rather modest) e-cover rate.
Here in my semi-retirement, the virtues of indie epub,
besides the higher royalty rates and the broad reach
and durability of its market, is for me exactly its
independence. I can write what I want, when I want, and
no publisher has to eat the costs of any failed
experiments. I am especially not obliged to perform
more PR than I want to because someone else has bet
their money on me. (The semi- in my retirement is
largely from public speaking, book tours, and
convention travel, all a lot more uncomfortable for me
than they used to be.) So I prefer epub now,
though trad pub was certainly excellent in its day.
My recent indie ebooks are available at just 3 vendors,
Kindle, Nook, and Apple Books/iBooks, and none are for
free. If you see one elsewhere, and for free, it's
probably pirated.
(Blackstone, Baen, and HarperCollins reach more
vendors, and of course Baen sells licensed editions
through their own website, all good. Though also not
free. They, and I, also have some in libraries, also
legit, and free to the patrons.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
That would be an interesting question to explore in
some story sometime. Did they/will they ever suffer the
equivalent of the 7-year-itch? It's more likely to be a
problem for Pen than Des, due to her deep experience
and long view. It really is a till-death-do-us-part
issue. If Pen got difficult, Des would likely be the
one to compromise and comport -- for now -- because
she'd know she can wait it out.
There's also the interesting point that the longer they
are together, the more they will leak into each other.
This is obvious on Des's side, as she takes up Pen's
imprint, subtler on Pen's side. Losing her by this
point, for Pen, would be like being blinded and having
several limbs amputated. Rather worse than having your
car break down, suddenly turning from a magic carpet
into an awkward 2000-pound outdoor sculpture.
But yes, some internal arguments could get pretty
amusing.
The nice SubPress edition of "Flowers", being sold out,
is prohibitively expensive on the used market now even
without shipping, though you can still get a (signed)
copy from Uncle Hugo's at market price (ask) and they
do ship worldwide.
It may be collected in some larger print volume
someday, but that's not on the horizon yet.
Ta, L.
(There is no prospect of any of my work being
paper-printed in the UK, my prior outings there having
been traumatizingly disastrous for all concerned.
Fortunately, ebooks interpret British publishing as
damage and route around.)
(Also note the Baen editions of the two Penric &
Desdemona print collections do have UK distribution
rights.)
Jonathan
PalfreyThe use of
"Flowers" as an abbreviation rang a bell with me:
it was used in Zelazny's "Roadmarks" as an
abbreviation of Baudelaire's "Les Fleurs du
maThe use of "Flowers" as an
abbreviation rang a bell with me: it was used in
Zelazny's "Roadmarks" as an abbreviation of
Baudelaire's "Les Fleurs du mal" (The Flowers of
Evil)....more May 21,
2021 06:25AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold(OP
was asking if the novella "The Flowers of Vashnoi"
would ever be reprinted on paper in the UK, to which
the short answer was "No".)
My experiences with British publishing are a long
story, or maybe a horror story, which I have told
before, but to recap in brief:
My first four VK books were sold to Headline for
mass-market paperback in the late 80s by Baen's
then-foreign-rights agent, as in my early book
contracts I hadn't kept those rights. Good so far. (I
think the first mistake was not staying with them, but
at the time no one, even me, knew how long the series
would go on.) Said agent got a better advance offer
from Pan, to which my original purchasing editor had
moved (I swear British editors should be fitted with
tracking collars) and we switched to them for the next
few books. About the time Mirror Dance was
winning my third novel Hugo, Pan's SF line went under,
taking my books with it.
Third try was Earthlight, a few years later, with whom
we tried to restart the series at Memory. I see
they actually got as far as Diplomatic Immunity.
Meanwhile, we'd recovered the rights for the
out-of-print books with Headline, three of which
(Shards, Barrayar and Warrior's) we
resold to Pan in hopes of getting some series synergy
going. When they didn't appear after a rather long
wait, we made inquiries, to discover 1) the line was
going under and 2) they had forgotten they had
bought the titles. They reluctantly published them
at the last gasp (the undertaker editor tasked with the
cover copy had never read them, with odd effects on
same), to minuscule sales. And that was the end of
that.
Meanwhile I'd started the Chalion books with Harper
Collins US, who treated them and me quite well, so we
tried that series on HC UK. When Paladin of
Souls returned disappointing sales, they declined
to pick up The Hallowed Hunt, so that was the
end of that as well. No one ever offered for The
Sharing Knife series.
Meanwhile yet again, ebooks were at last starting to
take off with the arrival of the Kindle around 2010,
which was the big game-changer. As my literary agent
recovered the rights to all the dead books, in 2011 we
gradually got them up as indie ebooks in the UK, where
they have sold modestly but steadily ever since.
I actually have no idea what current British publishers
may think of my work, as I swore them all off over a
decade ago. We gave UK distribution rights for the two
Penric paper collections to Baen, who may not do better
with them in the UK market but certainly cannot do
worse.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, I'm enormously pleased by that cover art. Best
depiction of a character of mine on the cover I've ever
had, and an accurate representation of the story as
well. (Although SubPress's cover for "Knife Children"
is also up there.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Sounds like paranoid fantasy to me. Really, given
actual biology, such is not needed.
People do tend to be weirdly reassured to imagine that
such things are under some human control, even when
they're not. Especially when they're not, I
suspect.
Judy R.I
think it was in a PBS Nova documentary on Bats,
and I think it was made before covid struck, that
an illuminating scientific discovery stood out
toI think it was in a PBS Nova
documentary on Bats, and I think it was made
before covid struck, that an illuminating
scientific discovery stood out to me. They put a
device onto a bat they netted at dusk cave-exit,
and recorded among much else the fact that when
bats are flying and hunting their temperatures
are extremely high. This led me to wonder if that
is why bats are able to harbor all sorts of
viruses -- especially rabies -- in an endemic
state while not succumbing to them. Couldn't tell
if the scientists in the documentary also thought
this but for some reason didn't say so. Well, the
non-scientists doing the film editing might not
have thought it was important -- wouldn't be the
first time that happened. I, however, think it
might be very important indeed....more Jan 21,
2022 12:26PM ·
flag
ChristianeJonathan,
your response is perfect. And thanks for the mini
Latin lesson. In general, I adore etymology.
Recently I got a kick out of realizing that
"Jonathan, your response is
perfect. And thanks for the mini Latin lesson. In
general, I adore etymology. Recently I got a kick
out of realizing that "wardrobe" comes from
warding/guarding robes/clothes. So it could as
well be named a guardshirt....more Jul 30,
2021 03:12PM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyThanks,
Christiane. I enjoyed your explanation of
'wardrobe'; I'd never really thought about
it.Thanks, Christiane. I enjoyed your
explanation of 'wardrobe'; I'd never really
thought about it....more Jul 31,
2021 12:49AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
difference is one of degree rather than kind. A petty
saint can channel a little of a god, a little of the
time; a regular or great saint can channel much more.
Cazaril was, briefly, a very great saint indeed. The
difference between a whisper and a roar, perhaps.
Lucie ZealeI
recently reread all the 5 gods books because I
came across a YouTube video about Caz and
realised I couldn't remember anything about the
plot! It waI recently reread all the 5 gods
books because I came across a YouTube video about
Caz and realised I couldn't remember anything
about the plot! It was wonderful to pick it all
back up again!...more Aug 12,
2021 06:17AM ·
flag
VivaineOne
of the many reasons Lois is my absolute favorite
author is that her books are so easy to re-read
without becoming boring or repetitive. I seem
toOne of the many reasons Lois
is my absolute favorite author is that her books
are so easy to re-read without becoming boring or
repetitive. I seem to find something new every
time I read - actually I listen to the audio
versions because a) failing eyesight and
shrinking font sizes are making reading
difficult, and b) the narration is just as good
as the stories....more Feb 12,
2023 04:38PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Ayup, Bosha especially has long tugged at my eye, but a
lot of his most interesting events are now already-told
backstory, which saps narrative tension. Well, we'll
see.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not sure what this is in reference to, since it's a
separate entry instead of a comment on an earlier
question. In any case, you can likely start with The
Warrior's Apprentice, available on Kindle, Nook,
and Apple Books.
...Or you might be thinking of Byerly Vorrutyer, who
makes his first appearance in A Civil Campaign,
sequel to Komarr. I rec starting the pair with
Komarr, for continuity, tho' By isn't in it.
Irene
MichlinPlayboy
but also a spy sounds like Ivan to me. :) And he
had a whole book to himself. Jun 10,
2021 04:24AM ·
flag
Talli
RuksasReally? I
don't see Ivan as a spy or even a classic
playboy. Cheerful man-slut maybe...Really? I don't see Ivan as a spy
or even a classic playboy. Cheerful man-slut
maybe......more Jun 10,
2021 06:51AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This reminds me of that old joke about the fellow
visiting NYC asking an elderly passerby, "How do I get
to Carnegie Hall?"
To which the New Yorker replied, "Practice! Practice!
Practice!"
There is more than one kind of published author, and
thus more than one answer with respect to the details,
but, "Write it. Finish it." would come first in all my
replies. First one must write something publishable.
After that comes an obstacle course which varies with
the end goal, but one can't run for a touchdown with
empty arms.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, there will be an audio edition. It won't be for
several months, however. I should have more specific
news in a few more days.
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, one could. What difference
it would make would depend on the particulars of the
human (though not of the demon-elemental-blob, which
would be identical in every case.) It might feel less
like going mad to the untrained recipient, as there
wouldn't be all those confusing animal
lives/perceptions/memories to deal with, but it would
still feel decidedly odd. (Not to mention carcinogenic,
plus the new accident-prone-ness.)
Sandy@Lois That
was a fascinating read, Thank you! Thinking it
over though I wonder about the need for the
'demon' at all. My imaginaiton jumps to having
a@Lois That was a fascinating
read, Thank you! Thinking it over though I wonder
about the need for the 'demon' at all. My
imaginaiton jumps to having a special film,
perhaps a two layered film, between the two rooms
that acts as a one way door depending on the
speed of the molecules encountering it. Slower
molecules could pass through from side A to B but
not from B to A because of the film and faster
molecules having the ability to break through
from B to A but moving too quickly to be able to
go from A to B. That would alleviate the need for
some demon to measure speeds, observe, and
operate a trap door. I am not sure if such a film
might be currently possible, via chemical make up
or perhaps by some molecular structural design.
The hardest part would be making it so that no
energy is lost in the crossing. But interesting
to get lost in the possibilities. Going back to
the idea of demons, I wonder if demon jumping
could work something like that. It appears life
cannot refuse a demon, so they can always pass
whatever barrier to get into someone, but then
they don't seem to be able to get out unless that
person perishes, making for a kind of one way
door that only falters at death. But I would have
to do some re-reading to be sure that was the
case and it isn't simply the demon's choice,
ignorance, or laziness not to jump out of living
creatuers. You have given me plenty of fodder for
contemplation and I am enjoying it immensely. And
perhaps in a more scientific direction lol.
Although if one views Gods as bringing souls to
be 'one' with them, or otherwise absorbing or
combining with them, then I feel the digestive
metaphor, albeit crass and inelegant, applies,
perhaps surprisingly, aptly. Particularly if the
Gods are growing and evolving along with the
people. Food nurishes bodies and becomes the body
and the best foods make for stronger better
bodies. And bodies expell anything unwanted,
unuseful, or undesirable. So it seems a small
jump from the concept of releasing demons to
expelling them. But I have run out of time to
write and will go back to simply churning it
around in the old brain a while. But Thanks again
for the interesting read....more Jun 26,
2021 10:32AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldText does not specify, and Velka
is beyond questioning, but we may construe that Velka
did not have Sight or any other uncanny powers.
Whatever spycraft or informers he was using in Lodi
missed that twist, only that "the chancellery sent out
an agent with the incriminating letter you wanted".
Lois McMaster
BujoldOne
or two times a month, I get a question posted to my
Goodreads Q&A that is not a question about my work,
but rather, some obviously personal message or request
that cannot be answered privately in this
column. Anything that goes up here is for all eyes to
see. Please stop handing me the dilemma of trying to
guess whether it would be worse to appear to blow the
questioner off by not answering at all, or embarrassing
us both by trying to answer here. Use the Goodreads
private messaging system for such queries -- that's
what it's for.
(A separate subcategory are "questions" that are
actually the OP's attempt to parasitize my space for
promoting their own self-published work, with not only
no relation to my work, but no relation to my genres.
Despite my sympathy for (not to mention memory of) the
desperation of being an aspiring clueless newbie, I
have steeled myself to start deleting those
unanswered.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nope. Not a peep. Alas, it's not up to me. Media is a
buyer's market, and the buyers are the
producers, the folks with money, other people's
or their own -- or both, given the high costs of
production.
I suspect few of them are Bujold readers.
Adapting my material also has a hidden hazard in its
interiority --a lot of what readers enjoy is actually
taking place inside the characters' heads, where the
camera cannot go, or in the stylistic voice (which are
mostly one and the same, in my choice of tight
viewpoint.) It's the great strength of prose fiction,
so I play to it hard, but removing that whole layer for
visual media would cost a lot of depth.
ChrisPersonally,
I think the 5 Gods books, in particular the
Penric books would make for great television. I
can already imagine someone like Angela
BassetPersonally, I think the 5 Gods
books, in particular the Penric books would make
for great television. I can already imagine
someone like Angela Basset as Desdamona's
voice-over in the head of whatever current
popular 20-something male actor plays the title
character....more Aug 08,
2021 08:33PM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyHeinlein's
comment that I vaguely remembered is from
"Stranger in a Strange Land"; I've just looked it
up, and the actual quotation is, "You have to
gHeinlein's comment that I
vaguely remembered is from "Stranger in a Strange
Land"; I've just looked it up, and the actual
quotation is, "You have to give an editor
something to change, or he gets frustrated. After
he pees in it himself, he likes the flavor much
better, so he buys it."...more Aug 08,
2021 11:10PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The 5GU is not our world, so I can have them eating
potatoes if I want, I just haven't so far. I have so
far also resisted "mahogany" for the typical skin color
of Cedonians, although it's the perfect term. So my
"great green bird" is probably some sort of parrot.
A dog-fox is actually an our-world term; it just means
a male fox. As contrasted with a vixen, a female
fox.
The sex, not the species, of the animal is usually
matched with the supposed gender of the god/ess. So one
might well have a male gray parrot for the Father
sometime. Color coded where possible -- if they can
obtain something close or evocative.
And if the local temple can't afford those fancy
flourishes, five kittens with different colored ribbons
around their necks can also do the job. It's apparent
from the results that the gods aren't fussy.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not seen, but it sounds interesting. Closed stoves,
regardless of fuel, made a huge difference in, among
other things, burn injuries and mortality, back
when.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
My books have not sold well in German. But it's also
possible the publisher never noticed it was 4 books,
not the expected trilogy -- that happened with the
Russian edition. I believe we did eventually catch up
with them and get the 4th through, but I didn't know
about Germany. Urgh, but too late now, as the books are
out of print and out of license.
I really don't think many of my foreign publishers pay
much attention to my work...
But no, gypsies weren't in my stock of (several)
inspirations for the Lakewalkers.
and a good deal of other nonfiction on engineering over
the years, one of the oldest roots, oddly, was from a
climactic scene from the old British comedy The
Horse's Mouth, in which... is it spoilers for a
film almost as old as I am? -- a bunch of justifiably
distrait people unwittingly cross a rug that has been
hastily thrown over the floor to conceal a large hole,
and... slowly.. sink... out... of... sight...
Judy R.The
Oso Landslide, we were told, was preceded by a
large jet of water squeezed out of the cliff face
for some hours before the cliff started to sag
anThe Oso Landslide, we were
told, was preceded by a large jet of water
squeezed out of the cliff face for some hours
before the cliff started to sag and slide. I was
volunteering for the Red Cross, after, and
wondered when they briefed this to us if the
notion was an engineering original (however
valid), or prompted by CVA....more Jan 20,
2022 12:15PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldPartly coincidence, partly no
doubt combinations that my brain, for whatever reasons,
finds euphonious, and partly that readerly eyes
naturally notice similarities but gloss over the more
common differences that blend into the general
background noise.
Also, one does run out of pronounceable names that are
not-our-world after a while -- quite a short while, now
we have Google putting all the real world's languages
at everyone's fingertips.
(I get the same effect with age differences across
romantic relationships; certain ones jump out at people
who have sensitivities about them, making them feel
more common to them than an actual statistical survey
of my characters would support.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I invented it, including the blue horseflies, although
it is informed by details from several real-world
diseases -- insect-borne ones like sleeping sickness,
yellow fever, and malaria, bruising in the extremities
like bubonic, and so on. One is spoiled for choice of
sources for unpleasant symptoms. I also had a physician
test-reader vet it for physiological plausibility.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Some, in WWI analyses and the like historical
examinations. Stuff on the Dunning-Kruger effect (smart
people underestimating themselves, non-smart people
overestimating) has been kicking around for a while,
but that's rather different.
I understand the use of repurposing of standard English
words into specific other meanings for the purpose of
precise argument, which he does here, but it irritates
me, as it seems more likely to lead to misunderstanding
than the intended reverse. Otherwise, yes, I get what
he's trying to say and somewhat agree.
My own related observation, which does dovetail with
the article, is that stupid (in the original meaning)
people fool themselves in stupid ways, and smart people
fool themselves in smart ways. Examples of the latter
may be found in dead-end scientific theories -- all
those complex calculations for epicycles of planetary
motion were not done by stupid people -- and high-end
theology -- Scholasticism makes an interesting study of
enormous amounts of brainpower wasted on systematic
rubbish. The biggest problem with the latter category
is how hard it is for anyone else to combat, since it
will certainly look convincing.
Shane
CastleIn my
youth I held the attitude that intelligence was
like CPU processing power -- those with less
would just take longer to reach similar
conclusionsIn my youth I held the attitude
that intelligence was like CPU processing power
-- those with less would just take longer to
reach similar conclusions. But now I see that
those people have never learned how to think
rationally in the first place. This is a
fundamental issue and challenge for our
world....more Aug 09,
2021 09:22AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyIn fact
we are all stupid, but some are stupider than
others. Aug 09,
2021 10:06AM ·
flag
Judy R.Dorothy
L. Sayers' "Gaudy Night" evokes speculation as to
the real-world worth of scholasticism as it is
portrayed there. It's odd that dialogue
bringDorothy L. Sayers' "Gaudy Night"
evokes speculation as to the real-world worth of
scholasticism as it is portrayed there. It's odd
that dialogue brings it out, but the sense of
reverence never wavers....more Jan 20,
2022 12:08PM ·
flag
Jane
BigelowOh, I'd
definitely invite the whole family to dinner,
*too*. Soap water works on: beetles that you can
find; beetles that don't wake up and fly
away;Oh, I'd definitely invite the
whole family to dinner, *too*. Soap water works
on: beetles that you can find; beetles that don't
wake up and fly away; beetles that are in my yard
and not waiting somewhere close by. I just
thought Penric could come by, solve one of his
problems and one of mine at the same time, and
then sit down to dinner in a blissfully
beetle-free garden with my family and his....more Aug 13,
2021 10:11AM
BrzkSleazy
bastards. You have my sympathies, lady. For both
being unable to get rid of the bugs and for the
lack of a sorcerer with Penric's other
uniqueSleazy bastards. You have my
sympathies, lady. For both being unable to get
rid of the bugs and for the lack of a sorcerer
with Penric's other unique
characteristics....more Aug 13,
2021 10:31AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
In the near future, no. I am presently taken up with
other creative interests.
"Ever" (or "never") is not something I can answer, as
story ideas strong enough to grip me trickle in
somewhat randomly and unexpectedly. I don't have
schedules or contracts anymore, thankfully, so it only
depends on my energy level, and conceiving something
interesting enough to overcome the temptations of yet
more rounds of mindless tablet games. (Which remind me
of that old line, "Hard work pays off in the future,
but laziness pays off right now...!")
Lois McMaster
Bujold
My condolences on your loss, but I'm glad you found and
enjoyed The Sharing Knife.
Fan mail is best sent email. Since you are on
Goodreads, the Goodreads messaging system would be
best. It is non-obvious how to use it, but other
posters may be able to help, or there may be a tutorial
somewhere around here.
Lois Bujold@
Brzk -- Yeah, when I first joined Goodreads I was
uncertain how to triage "friend" requests. After
some initial clumsiness, I eventually decided
it@ Brzk -- Yeah, when I first
joined Goodreads I was uncertain how to triage
"friend" requests. After some initial clumsiness,
I eventually decided it would be more efficient
to just friend all who asked, and delete any
later that turned out to be a problem. It has
worked so far...
Lois Bujold@ Leonie
-- Yeah, I picked up that trick from some
presentation I was at decades ago, where the
speaker had a volunteer from the audience who
said he@ Leonie -- Yeah, I picked up that
trick from some presentation I was at decades
ago, where the speaker had a volunteer from the
audience who said he was bad at catching, and
indeed, after a couple of fumbling demo tries, it
was obviously so. Then he told the fellow to
watch the stitching turning on the ball as it
came at him, and, lo, his hand went right to
it... enlightening moment for both of us.
Lois McMaster
BujoldRight oh. Where possible, it's a
good idea for folks to put follow-up questions in the
comments section if you want them to be seen together,
because GR's random-sort presentation (if you don't
select "newest first") may separate them.
You just have to click on the series link (in rather
tiny print, admittedly) toward the top of the book
descriptions on the vendor page.
(Though I see, looking at the Amazon page just now,
that Borders of Infinity is missing from the
list -- it's actually a 17-book series. Getting
corrections out of the Amazon bots is like pushing
pudding uphill, so we may not be able to fix this, but
I'll bring it to someone's attention.)
Not sure what Nook and Apple Books offer in terms of
cross-linkage; someone who uses them may chime in down
in the comments.
In addition, my reading-order guide, including the
(complete) chronological-order list, appears in the
back of every. single. copy of every. single. title of
ALL my indie-published ebooks. I have no idea why or
how so many people (not just you) are managing not to
find it. We've also recently put the "other books by"
up in the front matter, so people hitting the "Look
Inside" function will come across it right away.
Talli
RuksasBorders is
a challenge anyway for chrono reading order since
it involves four different time
periods. Sep 10,
2021 02:11AM ·
flag
Steve"Getting
corrections out of the Amazon bots is like
pushing pudding uphill." That is sure the truth.
I was a co-editor for a book and Amazon's
listing"Getting corrections out of the
Amazon bots is like pushing pudding uphill." That
is sure the truth. I was a co-editor for a book
and Amazon's listing randomly mixed up my name
with that of the co-editor and the writer of the
preface, and then had the paperback version
completely unconnected with the hard cover. It
took two years of chats and phone calls and
promises before it was finally fixed....more Sep 14,
2021 06:54PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
My print publisher for the Vorkosigan Series remains
Baen Books, who have faithfully (if sometimes
intermittently) kept them in print since 1986.
There have been lots of editions and different cover
iterations over that stretch of time. The most recent
that comes closest to what you want (including larger
print) are their trade paperback reprints, but I'm not
sure that list was ever completed. (Though the more
recent titles have included going through a trade
paperback morph between the hardcover and the
mass-market paperbacks, so all the 17 titles may in
fact all be covered out there in trade paperback.)
But there's a problem of scale for all publishers with
paper reprints. Basically, they can seldom sell enough
copies of newly printed old (aka "backlist") books to
pay for the effort, especially with cheap used copies
of the older titles being so easy to find on the
internet these days. About the only time one would see
that occur is with a very popular series that has a new
("frontlist") book coming out, to which the older
titles can be attached.
Remember, a publisher's paying customers for paper
books aren't readers, they are bookstores and chains,
wholesalers, and other vendors. Those folks are the
ones who have to decide whether to buy a book, and they
must do so before any end user ever gets a chance to
see it in a store. They don't want to lose money and go
out of business either, so they mainly filter for
salability.
Ta, L.
(Heh, and now I'm reminded of my own experimental foray
into print-on-demand for a fresh trade paperback
edition The Spirit Ring. When I posted the news,
the very first comment anyone made on it was a
guy complaining about the price and telling everyone
they could get a used copy cheaper.)
SusanI always
buy the hardback edition of any new Bujold novel.
I'm also trying to get all of the Pen & Des
stories in print as well, but that's just for
cI always buy the hardback
edition of any new Bujold novel. I'm also trying
to get all of the Pen & Des stories in print as
well, but that's just for completion - I already
have them all as e-books!...more Sep 11,
2021 12:01AM ·
flag
UrsulaJust and
FYI, you may want to give Baen a poke about
getting your books back into bookstores. I live
close to several B&N stores, and I've often
recomJust and FYI, you may want to give
Baen a poke about getting your books back into
bookstores. I live close to several B&N
stores, and I've often recommended your books to
others while browsing. (And they usually buy!)
But I can't do that if they aren't there. The
only ones I've seen all summer are "Penric's
Progress" and "Penric's Mission" - no Vorkosigan,
earlier 5 gods, or Sharing Knife books. Proabably
an artifact of the pandemic messing with
distribution....more Sep 15,
2021 10:15AM ·
flag
No, that's just an artifact of the books being
old. Brick-and-mortar bookstores having very
limited shelf space, for every new title that
i@ Ursula --
No, that's just an artifact of the books being
old. Brick-and-mortar bookstores having very
limited shelf space, for every new title that is
added an old one has to go.
Both publishers and bookstores also want what
they call "sales velocity", in hopes of economies
of scale kicking in. A title occupying a slot
that sells 10 copies a month is vastly preferred
over one that sells 1 copy every two months.
Books that sit around too long are booted and
their slots given to new hopefuls. (Like the two
new Penric omnibuses, but they are aging out by
now as well.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
A frequently asked question. Frequent answer: nothing
planned, nothing in progress, nothing ruled out.
If you are ambidextrous to fantasy, I have quite a few
more works of mine I could point you to, but if you're
here you presumably already know about them. In your
own time, as they used to say to cannoneers taking
aim.
But it's always nice to hear my books are still finding
new readers so far into their lifespans!
Talli
RuksasYour old
readers yearn for more too. Just sayin Sep 13,
2021 01:36PM
Anna
PersdotterWhat Talli
Ruksas said! (And as I wrote that I realised I
might not be considered an old reader really,
since I started to read your works just two
yeWhat Talli Ruksas said! (And
as I wrote that I realised I might not be
considered an old reader really, since I started
to read your works just two years ago. But it
feels like forever. I'm wating for Assassins of
Thasalon at the moment. But yeah, I wouldn't say
no to some more Miles!)...more Sep 20,
2021 05:23AM
Jane
BigelowI hope
that you will remain only semi-retired, and give
us more of any of your worlds. Oct 01,
2021 11:28AM
Jonathan
PalfreyTalli:
I've still never tried audio books, and now
you've given me a new reason to avoid them. When
I read a book, pronunciation is all my own
choice.Talli: I've still never tried
audio books, and now you've given me a new reason
to avoid them. When I read a book, pronunciation
is all my own choice. For the first time ever, it
occurs to me that this is a luxury....more Sep 22,
2021 03:54AM ·
flag
Kalen
DelaneyTo the OP:
don't forget that in addition to following up
with Adelis, Tanar, and Bosha, we get to see the
orphans again!To the OP: don't forget that in
addition to following up with Adelis, Tanar, and
Bosha, we get to see the orphans again!...more Oct 11,
2021 12:57PM ·
flag
I actually consider Penric to be a pretty normal human
being, well, apart from his profession. I'm not sure
what it says about our current fiction that he stands
out... (There's that line in Thasalon, "Normal
people carrying on with unthinking kindness must be as
shocking as sudden sunlight to such dark-adapted
eyes..." We may have been reading in the dark for a
little too long.)
It was likely highly planned to some scientific
aesthetic, and, like Athos, veered away from the
founders' original visions over time. Real-world
example over a similar number of centuries: the Bay
Colony vs. 21st C. Boston. I doubt many of the pilgrims
could have pictured it, even with 1600s European cities
as a model.
Glad you like the names! They are always a challenge
for me.
Lara MillerThanks!
That’s what my brain wanted it to be.
🤠 Sep 29,
2021 06:42AM ·
flag
Talli
RuksasGrover
pronounces it ro DAY oh Oct 01,
2021 01:21AM ·
flag
Lara MillerThanks,
Talli Ruksas. I don't really listen to audio
books (I don't hear well enough and would need
subtitles, which would be silly) but it's always
iThanks, Talli Ruksas. I
don't really listen to audio books (I don't hear
well enough and would need subtitles, which would
be silly) but it's always interesting to hear how
a reader interprets the names....more Oct 04,
2021 12:39PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldNo,
the WotFG (sometimes abbreviated 5GU) and the Wide
Green World are separate creations, never to be
conjoined. No matter how hard some tidy-minded fans
try.
Plunkins come from water lily roots (magically
bioengineered, so GMOs of a sort.) So, probably some
sort of tuber, though a proper botanist could likely
specify more precisely.
L.A. WillisI am
guilty of thinking the world of the Sharing Knife
was the same world as the 5GU, just thousands of
years later. Glad to be set straight on
that.I am guilty of thinking the world
of the Sharing Knife was the same world as the
5GU, just thousands of years later. Glad to be
set straight on that. But it does make for an
interesting fan fiction idea. Anyway. Love all
your books Lois. Thanks...more Oct 06,
2021 01:25PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThanks for the kind words!
Answering the second question first, another Penric
novella. I hope to get it done and up in another month
or so. (We're talking about late 2021, here.)
For the first question, that will change with every
reader, and with the same reader over time. But for me,
what makes books rereadable are characters that for one
reason or another I have come to care a lot about, and
so want to be with again. Plot is more of a
once-and-done thing.
Judy R.Adding
to prior comments, I just like hanging out with
my friends, no pressure because I already know
how the plot turns out. So rereading is
virus-frAdding to prior comments, I just
like hanging out with my friends, no pressure
because I already know how the plot turns out. So
rereading is virus-free socialization, a comfort
always, but especially lately, with all the
looming societal conflicts, I indulge myself with
fictional solutions, and hope for future real
ones....more Jan 20,
2022 11:51AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyCharacters,
yes, but also scenes. Think about the many video
clips of favourite scenes that you can find on
Youtube. People like to rewatch favouriteCharacters, yes, but also scenes.
Think about the many video clips of favourite
scenes that you can find on Youtube. People like
to rewatch favourite scenes; and I like to reread
favourite scenes. Although, if I dip into a book
to reread a favourite scene, I often end up
rereading the whole book—sometimes in the wrong
order.
I remember my mother telling me that her parents
would walk into a cinema in the middle of a film,
watch it to the end, watch it start again, then
walk out when it came to the point at which they
walked in. I sometimes do the same kind of thing
when rereading books....more Jul 06,
2024 10:59AM ·
flag
A general reminder, personal messages that one does not
want posted for the world to read should go on the
Goodreads messaging system, to be found under the
little envelope icon at the top right.
Jonathan
PalfreyAlthough
I've been primarily a science-fiction reader for
most of my life, I've become a definite fan of
the World of the Five Gods. I seem to be
partAlthough I've been primarily a
science-fiction reader for most of my life, I've
become a definite fan of the World of the Five
Gods. I seem to be partial to fantasy written by
authors who also write science fiction....more Oct 13,
2021 12:18AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldMiles's bone problems are
inspired by brittle bone disease, yes, but I prudently
made the cause something more science fictional in case
I needed to adjust it to the needs of my plot and
characterization. It is not the our-world version, any
more than the bioengineered Betan herms are the
our-world version of any of the assortment of natural
intersex conditions, in the underlying medical
details.
Anyway, glad you are enjoying Miles, and that his
medical issues ring true for you at least
metaphorically. (Which is kinda what fiction does.)
(Star Date was a one-shot Star Trek fanzine (do
I need to add "on paper"?) that some friends of mine
and I put together out of high school in 1968. I still
have a couple of copies in my filing cabinet. The
first, but not the last, time Ron Miller supplied me
with illustrations, heh.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold(The OP adds): "WRT my previous
question, my deepest apologies if it’s offensive. It
just reflected two things I’m curious about? I think
your work is amazing. I read excessively and have found
no one that equals you in character development."
Pasted together here because GR separates posts
randomly.
To answer the second part first, not offensive, just
common. Among the most frequently asked fan questions
are some variations of, "Can I get more of whatever
character/situation intrigued me in X story?"
If people are still thinking about my stories after
they finish reading, it's a good sign I've done my job
well for them. Nonetheless, I can't give a promising
answer, especially not to all of them. (There
have to be hundreds by now!)
There are interesting time/shift issues going on
underneath, as well. People who are just stumbling
across my work for the first time recently (bless them)
are getting stories that came out of my head over the
span of decades, all piled up at once. I'm not the same
writer (or person) I was ten, twenty, thirty, or now
almost forty years ago (and a good thing too); I had
different psychological concerns to explore at all
those times, and so different ones now. (As some
readers who were taken aback by Gentleman Jole and
the Red Queen have cause to know, and even that is,
in the initial conception and writing, almost a decade
old.)
Which is a long way around to say (tl;dnr) "Nope." And
also never certain, because who knows what ideas will
suddenly interest me in a month, a year, or more.
(Though not a week, as I just finished a novella.) But
it seems more likely to be something new than something
old.
Ta, L.
(Bel is doing fine, btw. That's one herm who knows how
to land on... well, not its feet in this case, but
something better.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldThis fantasy geography is
inspired by but by no means identical to our-world, but
I frequently use our world the way an artist uses
reference photos, as a quick way of getting the
proportions right. With that caution... Orbas would be
in the western Balkans, on the Adriatic coast; Croatia
roughly. (That "roughly" matters.)
Vilnoc follows more-or-less logically, drawn somewhat
freehand and from what I've learned about assorted
ancient and medieval Mediterranean cities.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThank you! I'm looking forward to
a peaceful day of mild self-indulgence, topped by
dinner with a friend. Well, and some laundry.
Indeed, the Q&A column is designed for questions
only; comments and discussion generally go either below
blog posts or below questions, or, if private, sent
through the Goodreads messaging system.
MargaretLike a
hobbit, apparently, Her Ladyship gives presents
to other people on her own birthday. Many happy
returns of the day, Lois! Nov 02,
2021 10:36AM
L.A. WillisA day of
mild self indulgence is exactly what our own
Temple Physician Sorcerer and demon, Pen and
Desdemona prescribe. Enjoy. Nov 02,
2021 10:47AM
KateWow!
Happy Birthday! Nov 03,
2021 02:43AM ·
flag
Shane
CastleOh, I
missed it. Darn. Was there cake? Nov 03,
2021 04:17PM ·
flag
Susan PriceMay you
enjoy many more enjoyable and restful days. If
they include the occasional urge to write, your
many readers will rejoice as well
(grin)! Nov 08,
2021 07:28AM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Hi Lois, I can honestly say you are my
favorite author, especially with your ability to work
across genres and produce wonderful characters.
Re-reading the Vorkosiganverse, and had a question I
couldn’t find an answer to:
Given their different cultures, was there disagreement
between Aral and Cordelia about the morality of him
romancing a younger subordinate?
Thank you for all the happy rainy afternoons! (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes: Cordelia thought it was just fine, as long as due
emotional care was taken; Aral fretted, and had to be
Betanly reassured. Which made him roll his eyes --
Betans! -- and then calm down. Which was Cordelia's
intent.
(I observe that Betans' long lives would tend to make
them less finicky about age differences than our
current oddly obsessed fashion is.)
And Jole was quite thoroughly a grownup himself by that
point, late 20s. A senior lieutenant considered
responsible enough to be put in operational charge of
weaponry that could devastate a planet, as his prior
post's duties included, can probably be trusted run his
own personal life. (And the romancing was mutual, if
cautious, like two porcupines trying to date.)
Note that Aral was out of the military at that point, a
civilian, so did not think of Jole being his
subordinate in the same sense as when he was Regent and
commander-in-chief. This got upwhacked during the Hegen
Hub crisis, of course, in all kinds of interesting ways
that Miles didn't see. Very politically dicey period,
in ways that totally eclipsed any personal concerns;
Aral's worst nightmares coming in waves.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, those are our only three platforms for ebooks.
Given their free apps, they should be available for
whatever device you are reading this on, though Nook
does not distribute outside N. America. The Blackstone
audio editions, however, appear more widely, including
in some libraries.
The two, eventually three, Penric collections are also
available in the Baen e-bookstore, as a limited
exclusive, and I think they do a few more formats. It
will be a while till Baen can work around to the newer
titles in a collection, though, because Subterranean
Press has first dibs for their signed limited editions.
(Penric's Labors is tentatively projected for
paper publication in December of 2022.)
eI've done
some tablet reading in the past but it wasn't
comfortable on my eyes after a while or right
before bed. And an ereader will make library
cheI've done some tablet
reading in the past but it wasn't comfortable on
my eyes after a while or right before bed. And an
ereader will make library check outs much easier,
although I cannot be sad that I bought all your
Vorkosigan, Sharing Knife, and World of the 5
Gods books before getting an ereader!...more Nov 15,
2021 02:25AM ·
flag
SusanI've had a
Nook ereader for several years, but my kids got
me a tablet last Christmas and installed both the
Nook and Kindle apps on it. That's all II've had a Nook ereader for
several years, but my kids got me a tablet last
Christmas and installed both the Nook and Kindle
apps on it. That's all I use now - love
it....more Nov 18,
2021 07:11PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't do that anymore, for a bunch of practical
reasons, including not wanting to drag myself to the
post office or shipping store, and not least the
chances of parcels being lost en route.
HowEVER, Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore or
Dreamhaven Books & Comics here in Minneapolis can sell
and ship signed new books, personalized by request. No
added charge or delay for the sigs, though there might
be a bit of a wait on personalizations. (Which means
folks thinking of Christmas right now (this is Nov.
14th) may want to build in lead-time.)
Judy R.Uncle
Hugo's was destroyed by rioters, so do you mean
buying through online? Am hoping our
contributions will enable a new brick-and-mortar
store soonUncle Hugo's was destroyed by
rioters, so do you mean buying through online? Am
hoping our contributions will enable a new
brick-and-mortar store soon....more Jan 20,
2022 11:35AM ·
flag
Every time I reread Cetaganda I pause at the part where
Miles says bitterly, “It is the way of the haut” and she
gives him a lock of her hair. Did I miss a whole lot of
nuance, or did an editor cut a lot? Up until she gives
him the bubble ride I thought she didn’t like him,
considered him a creepy though smart and useful stalker.
The atmosphere changes a bit then, but not that much.
(hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldHuh. I can't find that
word-string in either my master file or in my Kindle
edition, and thus can't find the passage that puzzles
you. Check for a misquote?
Wait, found it. "It's the haut way, is it not?" No,
there is nothing missing or mislaid in that passage.
Definitely no unauthorized edits, though you may be
missing nuance. The haut are big on nuance, and Miles
is still young.
You'll have to rephrase your question; I can't make out
what you are asking as it stands.
Talli
RuksasI think
Pel and Rian are both drawn to Miles because he
is so different from anyone they know and gives
them a glimpse of a life they can't have.I think Pel and Rian are both
drawn to Miles because he is so different from
anyone they know and gives them a glimpse of a
life they can't have....more Nov 20,
2021 11:09PM ·
flag
AnneMelbourne
and Sydney also have quite substantial creeks
running under them. The one under Elizabeth St in
Melbourne actually floods every few
decades. Nov 26,
2021 04:51AM
Steven
SarafianThis, as
regards London specifically, is a major plot
point in Dorothy L. Sayers & Jill Paton Walsh's
novel Thrones Dominations. Sayers wrote 150
pageThis, as regards London
specifically, is a major plot point in Dorothy L.
Sayers & Jill Paton Walsh's novel Thrones
Dominations. Sayers wrote 150 pages and a
detailed outline in the 1930s but never completed
it. The manuscript was found in the 1990s in a
safe at Sayers publisher and the estate got Jill
Paton Walsh to complete it. It is pretty good,
the seams show only in a few spots. Walsh wrote
three more, the next two based on material from
Sayers and the third completely Walsh but for the
characters....more Nov 26,
2021 09:55AM
GabysBen
Aaronovitch said in an interview that his two
favourite authors for listening to were Terry
Pratchett & Lois McMaster Bujold., not I think a
coincBen Aaronovitch said in an
interview that his two favourite authors for
listening to were Terry Pratchett & Lois McMaster
Bujold., not I think a coincidence as both seem
to love people and are very wise about them.
Thank you, Lois....more Dec 31,
2021 10:19AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, actually. I was however thinking of the other
ancient Japanese/Asian tradition of (upper class,
natch) women only speaking to people from behind
screens.
(The nonfiction book The World of the Shining
Prince is a good guide to Heian Japan https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...
and an enlightening read-along or read-before if you
want to tackle The Tale of Genji.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Baen will be publishing a third paper volume of the
next 3 Penric novellas in late 2022 or early 2023, to
be titled Penric's Labors. It will include
"Masquerade in Lodi", "The Orphans of Raspay", and "The
Physicians of Vilnoc".
Lois McMaster
Bujold
What they were doing before their marriages I don't
know, but after, Olivia would have had a full-time job
as Countess Vorrutyer, and Delia, who could be an
understudy for Alys by temperament, also would become a
political hostess/mover-and-shaker.
Miles does remark somewhere that a countess is in
effect an assistant count, though the role is rather
freeform, even more so now post-uterine-replicator
technology -- counts wear a lot of hats in terms of
their duties, and have to delegate if they are to do
right by their Districts.
I consider Goodreads to be my public PR face, not a
private one, not that anything is truly private on the
internet. I'll have to see if this change puts me in
the way of more spam. GR is pretty good about keeping
that out.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Fanac is for the fans, and it takes so many new (well,
not so new by now) forms on the internet, but yes,
those were quite fun to see.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Hm, this is probably a comment on a prior question.
Understandable in this instance, though.
Note that Goodreads separates questions, often
randomly, so if you want something to appear with
whatever it is commenting upon instead of bobbing
around loose and mysterious, it needs to go down in the
comments section of the answer given.
SandyI almost
did this once. When you click to read an answered
question the text box immediately below it looks
like the place to comment but it is actualI almost did this once. When you
click to read an answered question the text box
immediately below it looks like the place to
comment but it is actually "ask another
question". Easy mix up to make particularly if
you rush and don't really read the "Ask another
question" note they put in the box. To comment
you must click on the tiny "comment" link to
create a box for comments on a question/answer.
The design layout creates confusion, particularly
since most social media platforms put comment
boxes immediately below posts....more Dec 14,
2021 03:04PM ·
flag
Softness"...bobbing
around loose and mysterious..." *giggles*"...bobbing around loose and
mysterious..." *giggles*...more Dec 14,
2021 09:52PM ·
flag
JG&RQ has had quite a bifurcated reception, by my
standards, depending on what preconceptions given
readers approached it with. It's always nice to hear
from someone who gets my intended "study of grief and
recovery as changed by science fiction
bio-technology".
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Interesting idea, though I'm afraid the 5's minds are
much too large to encompass. They're not like the Greek
or Norse or even Chinese gods, humans writ large; they
are genuinely ineffable, alien even though profoundly
part of the world. The visions characters occasionally
have of them are human-sized-and-seeming just because
that's all the human mind can encompass, like a
millimeter leak from a municipal water tower. (Or more
accurately as a millimeter leak as experienced from
inside a submarine.) Which is also why every vision is
subtly different, each shaped by the shape of the mind
receiving it. Of all the visions that have turned up in
the stories so far, Cazaril's of the Daughter at the
end of Chalion came the closest to seeing a god
entire, and that nearly broke him, and certainly
effected permanent changes in and upon him. A little
bit joyously mad thereafter, and inclined to emitting
William-Blake-level poetry at random times. (Saint
Umegat would make a whole 'nother study.)
That answer will vary depending on the tastes and
interests of the reader. The Curse of Chalion is
my usual starter-rec for fantasy readers, so you're
good to go there. Dive in.
The science fiction side is trickier. If you like to
read your series in strict order, Shards of
Honor is first in the Vorkosigan series in
chronological, publication, and writing order, and also
my first novel. If you prefer a young male protagonist,
The Warrior's Apprentice, another early and
early-series book, also works, or The Borders of
Infinity novella collection for a sampler platter,
though I really feel that would work better after
tWA.
Start the recent Penric & Desdemona novella series with
the e-novella "Penric's Demon" or its first paper
collection Penric's Progress.
Note that while The Hallowed Hunt is set in the
same fantasy world, it does not follow on from the
first two, Chalion and its direct sequel
Paladin of Souls but is rather a stand-alone set
200 years earlier in another realm and with a
completely different cast of characters. If you know
that going in, you won't waste time flailing around
either waiting for it to turn into a continuation or
peeved that it doesn't. It does lay in some
worldbuilding useful for the later "Penric and the
Shaman" novella.
Happy reading!
L.
-- As always, my compete reading-order guide is
here:
SandyIn
response to Jonathan.... I was thinking of
"middle" as anywhere "between the first and
last/beginning and end" rather than as "the
center/mid-pointIn response to Jonathan.... I was
thinking of "middle" as anywhere "between the
first and last/beginning and end" rather than as
"the center/mid-point between two points". If
that helps to clarify.
I don't usually think of these things as exact
points because there remains the possibility of
books being added, as has happened many times
since I began reading the series in the 90s. My
concern in choosing recomendations is more with
what is the style of which ever book, since they
are all stand-alones really (perhaps an exception
for the Sharing Knife series).
Bujold has a wonderful way of using many
different styles/themes/structures that keeps the
series interesting and avoids being formulaic and
predictable. By that I mean some books are
"Action-adventure" while others are structured
more as "mysteries" or in the case of "A Civil
Campaign" as "romantic comedy" and so forth. I
find a broad spectrum of readers, and even
non-readers, are open to the "romantic comedy"
style of aCC, although sometimes I recommend a
differently styled novel if I think that is what
that particular potential reader would be most
open to.
The beauty of the books being stand alone is that
you can jump in pretty much anywhere and read a
book because it is the kind of thing you are
looking for, be it space opera, mystery, fantasy,
whathaveyou. Then you fall in love with the rich
characters and vibrant world-building, and you
are rewarded with having other books to enjoy
that include those things but which might stretch
your reading habits into new territories. There
were many folks who fussed about "Gentleman Jole
and the Red Queen" because they wanted it to be a
particular style (mostly action-adventure) that
it wasn't. But I loved it much because it was a
whole new kind of story, to add to all the other
kinds of stories in that series. And there are
still more styles to explore or create so perhaps
there will be more books. One style the
Vorkosigan series hasn't attempted yet for
instance is something from a child's perspective,
or a close look at parenthood with children. So
perhaps there might be another someday. And I
would particularly like to see more concerning
the opposite end of life's spectrum. Since it is
a view we rarely get as readers....more Dec 29,
2021 06:13AM ·
flag
By the time I got to "A Civil Campaign", I
already knew a fair amount about the world it's
set in, although ISandy: OK, thanks for the
clarification!
By the time I got to "A Civil Campaign", I
already knew a fair amount about the world it's
set in, although I hadn't read ALL the preceding
books. I'm not sure how it would strike someone
coming to it completely fresh: would the mass of
named characters be confusing? Also, "A Civil
Campaign" is the sequel to "Komarr" (in which
Miles first meets Ekaterin), and if you haven't
read the latter then you're missing significant
backstory. I agree that "A Civil Campaign" makes
a nice starting point in some ways, as long as
readers don't find it overwhelming. I suppose
they could catch up by reading "Komarr"
next…...more Dec 29,
2021 09:14AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not consciously. But I was pleased by the serendipity,
when I noticed it.
Divine and therefore theologian does follow in lockstep
to becoming a trained Temple sorcerer. Physician was a
less-standard bonus. Pen will likely duck
lawyering.
The original term "doctor", which dates back to the
medieval university system, actually means "teacher",
not "physician". (No one will have noticed that I never
use the term doctor for 5GU medicos.) A doctorate was
actually a license to teach in any Church-accredited
institution throughout Europe. An oath-sworn Temple
divine has something of the same status, someone to be
trusted with teaching.
Shane
Castle“ No one
will have noticed that I never use the term
doctor for 5GU medicos.” I have. I do not have a
doctorate, but I have several as friends, and
on“ No one will have noticed
that I never use the term doctor for 5GU
medicos.” I have. I do not have a doctorate, but
I have several as friends, and one brother. They
tend to use the term “physician” to avoid
confusion (and possibly to put them in their
place).
Also, see “docile”....more Dec 31,
2021 08:14PM ·
flag
JerriThank you
for the speedy reply. Noticing this reminded me
again of how I get a different experience reading
a story and listening to it. I read the orThank you for the speedy reply.
Noticing this reminded me again of how I get a
different experience reading a story and
listening to it. I read the original Penric's
Demon several times, but for the past couple of
years at least I have not read it, since I have
it as one of my go to audiobooks to listen when
under stress, and have listened to it so much.
But this re-read, I notice things that I hadn't
before. A great story and world....more Jan 01,
2022 10:30AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyThe Doctor
is a time-travelling eccentric with a blue box,
who hasn’t been seen so far in the World of the
Five Gods. Wouldn’t that be a strange
crossThe Doctor is a time-travelling
eccentric with a blue box, who hasn’t been seen
so far in the World of the Five Gods. Wouldn’t
that be a strange crossover…...more Aug 30,
2023 02:39AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I've actually read very little Bronte (just Jane
Eyre) and not that one, so no, it wasn't an
influence. Ekaterin and Miles's tale came from a wide
range of seeds, including real life experiences that
won't be available to people tracking literary sources.
But Heyer, Sayers, Austen, and Shakespeare are also all
in the work's family tree somewhere, to be sure, in the
oblique way that such a piled-up compost heap of ideas
work out.
Norine
LukerMakes
sense. Fundamentally, of course Ekaterin and
Miles are your creation, and we, your fans, read
your work to enjoy your particularly glorious
andMakes sense. Fundamentally,
of course Ekaterin and Miles are your creation,
and we, your fans, read your work to enjoy your
particularly glorious and unique take on life and
relationships....more Jan 07,
2022 01:22PM ·
flag
Steven
Sarafianre:
Sayers: I love the mysteries, but her essays and
plays are also wonderful. "Love All" (satirical
feminist comedy) is a bit hard to find, but
worthre: Sayers: I love the mysteries,
but her essays and plays are also wonderful.
"Love All" (satirical feminist comedy) is a bit
hard to find, but worth the trouble. "The Man
Born to be King" is great--C.S. Lewis made a
point of reading it every year....more Jan 11,
2022 04:27AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWriters have all kinds of
systems, variously elaborate. I don't have much. By the
time I've written a book, I've read it over so many
times it's nearly ingrained, although I notice that now
that I have a longer past, more early work is fading
out. If it's written and published, I can look it up in
the story, or nowadays search text if the question
lends itself to keywords. In a pinch, I can ask my fans
on my blog or chat list if anyone remembers the detail
in question, on the confident theory that among them
all, someone will have reread it more recently than I
have.
Anything not published can be changed, or changed
around, to fit the current story's needs. It's seldom
wrong to have a better idea, if it can be sneaked in.
So no, I don't have a 30-volume Encyclopedia
Barrayarica secreted in my garage, slowly molding. I
made it up once; I can make it up, or at least boot it
up, again, although my innate laziness prefers not to
if looking it up is easier. I do sometimes reread when
working out a new story, to prime the pump and refill
the well.
Rereads also come in the way of business when a new
edition needs proofread, an exercise of incredible
tedium that I have had occasion to regret skipping, so
there's that periodic reinforcement. (A subset of Don't
Trust Anyone.)
Now, I've regretted my lack of system more than once,
particularly as the lists of made-up names grow
unwieldy. And proper publishers like to have written
lists of all the neologisms and usages for their copy
editors to refer to, so keeping one as you go along,
saving devising it later in a hurry, is a good idea.
Also speaking from experiences to be avoided.
"When in doubt, check it" usually works. Problem comes
when one is not in doubt but nonetheless wrong,
oops.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I usually toss in Ben Aaronovitch and Megan Whalen
Turner when asked this, for recent writers, though
really neither are that recent anymore. If you look at
the top of this page for my "My Books", there are
reviews of quite a lot of things I've read since taking
up Goodreads, some recced, some not. I don't review
everything I read, and I don't review anything I don't
finish or don't like (much the same, these days) and I
usually only cover the first of a series.
I presume you've found my other two series, the
Vorkosigan Saga and The Sharing Knife tetralogy?
CarroI'd like
to recommend Eva St John's "Quantum Curator"
series. It is parallel world sf with a form of
time travel. The Quantum Curators are
travellingI'd like to recommend Eva St
John's "Quantum Curator" series. It is parallel
world sf with a form of time travel. The Quantum
Curators are travelling from their supposedly
perfect alpha world, to beta world - ours - and
rescuing artwork just as it is about to be
destroyed. But things are rather more complex
than that. The world building and people are
fascinating. I particularly like the second book,
when the beta world's character Welsh grandma has
a presence in the story....more Jan 20,
2022 05:08AM ·
flag
ScottI'll thank
you once again, Lois, for suggesting Ben
Aaronovitch. The Rivers of London has been great
fun. I'll also bring up T. Kingfisher who I
discoI'll thank you once again, Lois,
for suggesting Ben Aaronovitch. The Rivers of
London has been great fun. I'll also bring up T.
Kingfisher who I discovered at your suggestion.
The Saint of Steel books, the Clocktaur War, and
her other "not horror" books are wonderfully
written. I'll also throw out a kudo for one of my
other favorites that I know holds your writing in
very high regard: Patricia Briggs. Patty's a big
fan of the VK's and I find her Mercy Thompson &
Alpha & Omega books are not far off your earlier
works in tone and quality. Not to say your later
stuff is slacking, just that you've embraced a
less "dramatic" and more comfortable feel IMHO. I
thoroughly love it (surviving cancer can do that
to your tastes)....more Jan 21,
2022 12:39AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Please do not use the Author Q&A feature to try to
ask private questions. They cannot be answered
privately.
Use the Goodreads private messaging system instead --
that's what it's for. To be found under the little
envelope icon, I believe. I have recently reset (I
hope) my GR email to public instead of limited to
GR-accepted friends, so any GR member should be able to
use it. In theory. Unless I'm misunderstanding the
system, which happens.
(If the questioner has not also set their GR email to
public, or possibly been friended by/friended me, not
sure, I can't message them in reply either.)
Anyone who actually has used the system is invited to
chime in down in the comments to explain how in more
detail. The method is non-obvious, unfortunately.
SoftnessI was
following your account only and was able to send
you messages by using the drop-down menu and
clicking "send message". I just added your
accountI was following your account only
and was able to send you messages by using the
drop-down menu and clicking "send message". I
just added your account as a friend and I'm not
sure what's different. I actually thought I'd
already added it because I could send messages.
^^;...more Jan 21,
2022 04:43PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
am sorry for you loss. And yeah, cancer surely
qualifies as a Bastard's chaotic curse, almost
literally. I'm glad you find something in my work that
supports you.
(The Goodreads messging system, to be found under the
little envelope icon at the top right of one's screen,
is the best way to send me private messages here.
Again, if someone wants to chime in down in the
comments with exact instruction on how, please do,
because GR certainly does not make it obvious.)
Luke
ReynoldsIf you
click the little down arrow to the right of
"Following" or "Follow Author" one of the options
is "Send Message." I believe that should (GR
permIf you click the little down arrow
to the right of "Following" or "Follow Author"
one of the options is "Send Message." I believe
that should (GR permitting) allow you to send a
private message. My condolences for your
loss....more Jan 28,
2022 05:15AM
Lois McMaster
BujoldThat's a frequently asked
question, but no. At least not at this time.
Nothing in the pipeline at the moment -- I've been
slacking this winter. Or at least re-Covid-sheltering
with, at my fingertips, a million Amazon
insta-large-print ebooks, most of which I don't want to
read, and ten million hours of streaming media, most of
which I do not want to watch. It's certainly a
post-scarcity world with respect to entertainment. I'd
long noticed that information wealth was
non-Malthusian, and now it's demonstrated. Brave new
world.
Out of all that, I'm glad you have found and like my
tales!
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, my tale first tripped (literally) over Bel in
1983, supposed to have been a throw-away bit of
world-building, scene setting not a speaking or an
ongoing character. If I had known, etc. I most regret
the use of "it" then because the pronoun would have
been far more useful later when my genuinely sexless ba
came onto the scene.
The English language is desperately in need of an
unambiguous gender-neutral singular pronoun, and if
science fiction as a genre had picked one ("zie"
ferex), instead fielding a competing dozen, and agreed
upon it decades ago as common coin, it might have
leaked into the wider culture by now and the problem
would be solved, sigh. If I'd given Bel a different
pronoun, it would have been one of these or one of my
own coinage, certainly not the repurposed plural.
Updating is a problem with multiple pitfalls. First of
course is that "current standards" are a moving target
that change about every ten or even five years. Any
writers engaging in reediting a large body of work to
keep up would soon find themselves doing nothing
else.
A subtler problem is that, in a very real sense, those
long-ago books were written by someone else. Not only
am I a different person mentally by now, in 20 years,
they say, even one's bones completely replace
themselves. To what extent should I have a right to
alter that other person's words, to retcon the past, to
photoshop that snapshot of history?
Which also leads me to the musing of whether a story is
more like an artifact or a person, a philosophical
question that would require a lot more tea than I've
drunk yet this morning to address.
Ta, L.
(Betan herms, I should probably say again, are not
intersexed. They are an artificially bioengineered
future sex that does not exist on Earth today. I
suspect this fine point of biology slips past many
readers.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The work would have to be licensed by a media
production company, one that has the money, know-how,
and clout to make such. (I'd love a mini-series for any
of my books; feature-length movies have to leave too
much out.) It's very much a buyer's market, however,
since books are many and media producers are few.
No media company has offered for it yet. Such an event
is not ruled out, but it's not up to me.
SandyIf fans
started a campaign to request a Bujold
Mini-series and pestered Netflix/Amazon/ect
enough, it would show there is a demand and would
help putIf fans started a campaign to
request a Bujold Mini-series and pestered
Netflix/Amazon/ect enough, it would show there is
a demand and would help put the books on the
radar. There is currently the hot topic of the
"snow white" remake and such that makes some
books, such as the Miles book's, particularly
relevant. Now would be a great time for a push by
fans, either addressing media companies directly,
or flooding social media avenues with Bujold's
Books as a hot topic. Fans would need to work
together though. Say make it a treading topic on
Twitter for instance and potentially draw in lots
of new readers in the process to raise the
popularity pressure on media companies even
higher. It has worked for fan groups in the past,
for instance the movie "Serenity" from the
Firefly tv series.
I say, best bet is to ride the "snow white"
attention, and create posts/tweets that hashtag
that issue, and recommend a mini series of the
Miles books as the cure. A lot of people would
need to be doing it at the same time to really
get attention though. So try it this week!...more Feb 03,
2022 07:45AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I've not used tags before, and am uncertain of their
protocols, but I expect it's time to continue my
laggard foray into the 21st C. and learn how to do
so... sometime...
Ta, L. (Reflecting that knowing how to saddle and
bridle a horse doesn't count for much on the
computer.)
By's father suffered from being Ges Vorrutyer's younger
brother, and was likely molested and certainly
tormented by him in various proto-nasty ways when
young. This more than anything predisposed him to be
suspicious of older brothers, with knock-on effects on
poor By. I don't think it would have needed Richars's
input, though the latter is not ruled out. (Neither is
it made up at this time.)
CatBookMomAnd yet,
you brought Byerly into some semblance of
semi-ethical behavior, in *Captain Vorkosigan's
Alliance". Snaky, snarky, but. Thank you, for all
tAnd yet, you brought Byerly
into some semblance of semi-ethical behavior, in
*Captain Vorkosigan's Alliance". Snaky, snarky,
but. Thank you, for all the books, so many
re-reads, so much enjoyment, even if not
HEA....more Feb 11,
2022 09:35PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldHeh. That's one of those many
pernicious "writing rules" that aren't. Pat Wrede in
her excellent writing blog has a number of tart things
to say about dictums of that ilk. https://pcwrede.com/blog/
"In danger" is more of a moving target. The character
needs a problem that strongly matters, but it need not
be life-threatening to do so. (See "Knot of Shadows"
ferex.)
That said, when such a death was integral the story, it
was the story, and I don't argue with the story...
well, I don't win, anyway. Two disparate examples
(spoilers follow):
My generation of what became The Warrior's
Apprentice actually began with a vision of
the death of Bothari, under rather different
circumstances than what finally evolved, but that was
inherent from the get-go. I'm not sure to what extent
he qualifies as "likeable", to be sure. The death of
Teidez in The Curse of Chalion was likewise
baked into the plot from the beginning.
The death of Aral was something I'd edged up to, and
avoided, for years, and it finally took an entire book
to get its thematic and emotional work done, both for
me and for Miles. That one was likely the hardest.
I recall one review, years ago, where the reviewer
complained that he "wasn't going to take my work
seriously" unless I killed off Ivan. I decided that was
his problem, not mine. Violence is not the only kind of
action, and mortal stakes are not the only ones that
matter. As always, in writing as in life "It
Depends."
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, not really. The books have shown a pretty good
range of them, from the least formal (Ivan) to the most
(Gregor.) I don't especially recommend either end for
emulation...
You should please, first of all, yourselves, then
family & guests q.s. (Q.s. is a Latin abbreviation used
in pharmacy meaning "as much as is sufficient;
enough."
Jonathan
PalfreyPersonal
reactions to fiction are of course very
subjective. There are some good books involving
Miles, but he's not really one of my favourite
characPersonal reactions to fiction are
of course very subjective. There are some good
books involving Miles, but he's not really one of
my favourite characters, though it may seem
heresy to say so here. I like better the
characters we've seen in the World of the Five
Gods....more Feb 17,
2022 11:34PM ·
flag
Margaret5GU is my
favorite, too, but that's mostly because my taste
for fantasy is stronger than my taste for SF, I
think. More generally, I'll happily read w5GU is my favorite, too, but
that's mostly because my taste for fantasy is
stronger than my taste for SF, I think. More
generally, I'll happily read whatever Her
Ladyship wants to write!...more Feb 18,
2022 03:44PM ·
flag
MichelleI'm a huge
Miles fan myself. I must have read that series at
least a dozen times.I'm a huge Miles fan myself. I
must have read that series at least a dozen
times....more Feb 25,
2022 09:46AM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Hello, I discovered your books 6 months
ago, at a much-needed time. Thank you so very much! While
I delight in many of your characters, I am especially
loving Simon and Alys right now. Would you mind sharing
your thoughts on what was happening with them before
Memory? Were they romantically (or more) involved; or did
each have undisclosed thoughts for the other; or did
Memory's crisis trigger a realization? TY (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, fans can and do make up
whatever they want to fill in the blanks, but I see the
relationship progressing slowly from the traumas after
the Pretender's War, through to increasing mutual
respect as they each grow into their new jobs, to
secret hopeless silent but not mutually unaware pining
in the later years. To, with the chip removal and
Simon's retirement, the glorious freedom that we see
glimpses of thereafter in the books. So: not
realization, but opportunity at last.
AndieThank you
so much for your response! That was how I
thought/felt about how things developed, but as
it isn't directly addressed in the book there is
rThank you so much for your
response! That was how I thought/felt about how
things developed, but as it isn't directly
addressed in the book there is room for
interpretation.
I am really resonating to the theme of new
challenges, failures and losses being (as
Cordelia might say) a test, or a gift ... that we
can muster up the courage (or determination to
not give up) and that we will find other good
things - different, but also exciting - for who
we are becoming. Good things await, even if one
is older than 30 years old!
For me, your stories and characters are
life-giving, and have reminded me to take time to
delight and find joy in the friendships, family,
and gifts we have.
Now that I am almost 50, it seems that I am
looking for these explorations of what it means
to get older, how to integrate the new challenges
and opportunities and keep moving forward ("you
go on") and - dare I think - have an interesting
and exciting life at an older stage. (Now that I
am looking for it, perhaps I will find more
stories that feed this interest of continuing
development of "older" characters).
It is absolutely wonderful to have Cordelia,
Alys, Simon, Aral, Ekaterin, Miles, Mark, Ivan,
Duv ... well, pretty much everyone ... to spend
time with. On one hand, I wish I had discovered
your books years ago - on the other hand, perhaps
I discovered them just when I needed to.
Thank you for being so kind and gracious as to
answer questions here :)...more Feb 18,
2022 05:09PM ·
flag
JerriIf you
have only read LMB's Barrayar stories and are
interested in a book that deals with issues
relating to aging, I suggest the World of the
Five GoIf you have only read LMB's
Barrayar stories and are interested in a book
that deals with issues relating to aging, I
suggest the World of the Five Gods books. Curse
of Chalion's main POV character is a middle aged
male who builds a new life and Pladian of Souls a
middle aged female who does likewise....more Feb 19,
2022 04:33AM ·
flag
AndieThank you!
I have been thinking of where to go next, and I
definitely want to explore more from Lois. My
problem is that I get really really
absorbedThank you! I have been thinking of
where to go next, and I definitely want to
explore more from Lois. My problem is that I get
really really absorbed into the great books
(which the Barrayar stories definitely are, at
least for me) and I am not so great at keeping
the rest of life functioning when I am in the
zone (you know, sleeping, making food, etc.) So,
I need to be ready! Your comment helps to set me
up for my next adventure, even if I will have to
wait a few months to be in the right place to
jump in. :)...more Feb 19,
2022 07:24AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldThere will be a third Penric
omnibus, Penric's Labors,, from Baen in
November.
SubPress has a one-year exclusive term of license after
publication for their editions (really quite short, by
publishing standards) so there won't be anything else
on paper soon.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
A flimsy is essentially plastic paper. So, folded over,
holds things like any other envelope. I picture being
able to put old flimsy sheets in some hopper in the
flimsy printer to be melted down and re-sheeted for
instant recycling.
KeithInteresting.
I had always imagined it as basically an epaper
sheet (kind of like of ereader except in a thin
sheet form). Feb 22,
2022 05:26AM ·
flag
CatBookMomIn many
instances throughout the books, they are
referenced as "a plastic flimsy" Or plural,
'flimsies.'In many instances throughout the
books, they are referenced as "a plastic flimsy"
Or plural, 'flimsies.'...more Feb 25,
2022 05:51PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
You have a choice of two explanations: it was an early
work and I hadn't worked out all the details yet, or it
was special dress for certain sorts of Imperial
ceremonies only.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Early work, and I don't remember what all I intended. I
suppose there could have been an uncle on one side or
the other also caught up in the general deadly sweep,
possibly Padma's father i.e. Sonia's husband. It was an
extended family gathering, after all, plus the death
squads struck elsewhere at the same time. Final version
is mother, brother, and sister there at the time for
sure.
KarenhuntSister is
mentioned in Mirror Dance, chapter 15, where Aral
is showing Mark the family graveyard during the
visit to Vorkosigan Surleau Feb 28,
2022 04:34AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nope, sorry, no maps except the fading pictures in my
head and whatever you can construe from textev. I'm
sure if you made one, the Vorkosigan fan wiki would be
glad to post it...
Lois McMaster
Bujold
WA, only my 2nd novel written, pretty much presented
itself through Miles's eyes from the get-go. (My first
venture into multiple viewpoint was Falling
Free, written 4th.) So, no; though if readers find
themselves thinking about the other characters'
viewpoints, it's a good sign they're getting through
the single-viewpoint character's filters (in some
cases, blinders) well. I didn't experiment with dual
viewpoint till irrc my 10th novel, The Spirit
Ring.
MelindaI
have a little Vorkosigan Saga reading group, and
we've been discussing this topic. Some of my
buddies are convinced than an Elena retelling of
The WI have a little Vorkosigan Saga
reading group, and we've been discussing this
topic. Some of my buddies are convinced than an
Elena retelling of The Warrior's Apprentice would
be a straight-up romance novel, but I completely
disagree. I think it would be a first-rate coming
of age story. Aside from falling for Baz, Elena
also goes off planet for the first time, observes
Miles go wild building his house of cards,
experiences combat, learns the truth about her
parents, and witnesses her father's death. She
has to grapple with her
fear/self-hatred/self-disgust over what she may
have inherited from her monster of a father. I'd
really like to know how she rectifies this with
her decision to follow in his footsteps and
become a soldier. Throughout the story, her
respect for Barrayar rapidly erodes, and she
purposefully sheds her Barrayaran heritage. And
yet...here too becoming a soldier seems like an
incredibly Barrayaran thing to do. Argh, now I
really want to read this story. Wish you would
write it......more Apr 07,
2022 08:35PM ·
flag
Talli
RuksasMelinda -
and finds out who and meets her
mother. Apr 07,
2022 08:41PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Ivan always had capacity, but he really was pretty
feckless and thoughtless as a youngster and teen. He
earned his moniker through a string of boneheaded
gaffes, misadventures, and remarks, not recounted. (Nor
made up by me in detail, so don't ask, but his nearest
and dearest witnessed and remembered, to his later
annoyance.) But, like the more fortunate among us, he
survived and learned better over time. By 25, he was
much improved, and by 35 hardly off-putting at all.
He also, of course, grew in the writing, as did all the
ongoing series characters. When he first stumbled onto
my page in 1984 in my second-ever book (WA) he was
mainly a foil for Miles, though already with his own
voice. When the chance to reuse him came up in my
fifth, Brothers in Arms he had not only the
in-story time but also the page space to develop.
Anton@Lois One
of the most famous characters in Russian
fairytales is Ivan-durak (Ivan-the-idiot), who is
originally perceived as dim-witted and lazy,
but@Lois One of the most famous
characters in Russian fairytales is Ivan-durak
(Ivan-the-idiot), who is originally perceived as
dim-witted and lazy, but turns out to be clever
and resourceful. Is there any connection to Ivan
Vorpatril? :)...more Mar 09,
2022 02:16PM
MargaretWhat
Richard says above about how Ivan's ambition is
simply to be happy goes a long way toward
explaining why and how he appeals so much to Tej
in CVAWhat Richard says above about how
Ivan's ambition is simply to be happy goes a long
way toward explaining why and how he appeals so
much to Tej in CVA; her problem with her own
family is so similar!...more Mar 10,
2022 10:13AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
In order to answer this question and the following --
which is going to get separated btw -- I would have to
stop and make stuff up. Which I am disinclined
to do just at the moment. Perfectly reasonable
question, mind, and I'm pleased that the characters
seem real enough to you that you're still thinking
about them after the book is closed, but working
through the many possibilities seems more a task for
the ficcers, who routinely work in multiverses.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Me making up what Simon and Alys are thinking at that
point would be tantamount to committing to a future
direction, I think. Many are the possibilities, and I'm
not interested in either exploring or cutting them off
just at the moment. So you're still free to imagine for
yourself...
AndieAh, thank
you .... I wondered if you "knew" already what
they were thinking - totally makes sense to not
make up something new that isn't already in
tAh, thank you .... I
wondered if you "knew" already what they were
thinking - totally makes sense to not make up
something new that isn't already in the
back-story. Through IRL and internet friends, I
have become more aware of how the world
(including stories) looks to those who don't have
kids, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. That
is one reason I find the Mark/Kareen relationship
(there is some idea of Mark's thinking about kids
or not, I recall) very interesting too. OK, well,
I find pretty much all the characters and
relationships interesting to be honest.
Lois, you are so generous in sharing this world
and such well-developed characters with us,
giving us the chance to get to know them, and
allowing your readers to imagine and dream. I
can't thank you enough :)...more Mar 07,
2022 03:44PM ·
flag
Alealea@Brzk
: it was a joke. I guess it fell flat Mar 08,
2022 02:10PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No idea. Look on the map and see if there's another
large city mentioned -- that would be the best bet. On
a river, or in the more populated south. (Somewhere in
the farmer-heavy south, not touched on in the tale,
seems likely. The map only includes places named in the
story, for reader orientation, not all possible
places.)
There are also still old coins floating around from
lost cities of the past.
KarenhuntFarmer
Flats in "Indiana"/Raintree is a possibility, as
is Mutton Hash (not sure which hinterland it's in
since it's above the blighted area in the
soFarmer Flats in
"Indiana"/Raintree is a possibility, as is Mutton
Hash (not sure which hinterland it's in since
it's above the blighted area in the south; maybe
very-south Oleana?...more Mar 14,
2022 04:41AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I never worked out all seven, but Oleana centers on
Ohio and surroundings, Raintree on western Indiana and
Illinois to the Mississippi, Seagate is New England
(which does have snow-topped mountains) and
eastern-seaboard Canada, Luthlia indeed Minnesota and
S. Canada. Not the Dakotas, they're too far west and
still recovering from the Big Blight. The south
presumably has a name or two for its regions (which
would include Graymouth.) I don't believe I ever named
all the hinterlands -- it's useful to leave some things
undefined to give space for future tales.
The larger map included in the books is as good as it
gets for defined geography, though I rearranged it
freely when I needed to. The Hardboil was the Tennessee
River, roughly, though it's been a while.
MarieFunnily
enough, just now, while looking at maps for an
upcoming trip, I saw a "Leech Lake" - in
north-central Minnesota! Naturally I looked for
"HickoFunnily enough, just now, while
looking at maps for an upcoming trip, I saw a
"Leech Lake" - in north-central Minnesota!
Naturally I looked for "Hickory Lake" though the
only thing I found there was a campground in
northeastern Ohio (no lake named Hickory in
sight)....more Mar 21,
2022 10:24AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldI've been
to Leech Lake. It is not named for its shape...
:-)
My "Hickory Lake" was very loosely based on
Indian Lake, Ohio, where my grandfather had
hI've been to Leech Lake. It
is not named for its shape... :-)
My "Hickory Lake" was very loosely based on
Indian Lake, Ohio, where my grandfather had his
retirement cottage when I was a kid. Lots of
hickory trees, though.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes; part of the exploration of the series is how to
carry on somehow when your world and your history hands
you nothing but bad choices. Triage all the way down.
(And I expect Aral is not nearly as admiring of his
moral center as some outside observers, as he knows
just how much of a bloody mess it really is in this
triage tent.)
Falling Free is a spaceship that has sailed, I'm
afraid. Diplomatic Immunity allowed me to get in
some closure for the tale, though, a century or two
late.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I think that was Elena, when she was explaining opting
out of the Dendarii mercenaries to Miles; so somewhere
in the first few chapters of Memory. Unless it
was Kareen somewhere -- both young women were certainly
infuenced by Cordelia.
(It's always best to put comments on a question in its
attendant comment space, or they'll be separated.)
The ellipsis was, as is usual in my and much fiction,
and indicator of a trailing off without completion, or
a pause in either a speaker's speech or thought-stream,
so I don't have to keep putting the clarifying
interruptions in stage business -- "Yadda, hadda," he
hesitated, "yadda." The hesitations can be for lots of
reasons, usually for the speaker/thinker to select the
right word, sometimes to read the room, other things in
context.
In formal essay and report writing, ellipses are
also used to indicate words edited out of material in a
quotation -- Yadda yadda ... yadda. Where the missing
bits can be either a few words or many sentences.
The first use is more in the nature of a stage
direction. The second use is scholarly etiquette. If
you've been trained in essay writing, it might be easy
to conflate or confuse the two very different functions
of this handy punctuation device.
As another general rule of how people read, if
something in the writing has confused or
discombobulated readers, they are more likely to
stumble over whatever comes next, being already dizzied
-- even if it's perfectly fine, because their
flow-of-attention will be divided between that and
whatever they're still chewing over. Sort of a knock-on
effect. Which also happens at more macro levels than
just sentences, alas.
CelticThanks for
the explanation Lois; it's appreciated... as is
your continuing interaction here - I've just seen
how many questions you've answered; phenoThanks for the explanation Lois;
it's appreciated... as is your continuing
interaction here - I've just seen how many
questions you've answered; phenomenol. Thank
you....more Mar 11,
2022 05:09PM ·
flag
Lois BujoldThankfully,
I didn't have to answer them all in one go. What
you see in this Q&A column is the
accumulation of many years.
LThankfully, I didn't have to
answer them all in one go. What you see in this
Q&A column is the accumulation of many
years.
Lois McMaster
BujoldTechnically, the "worst possible
thing" would pertain to the plot, not the theme. The
theme is an emergent property of the story as a whole,
an after-the-fact perception. But anyway.
I've tried to correct this misquote/misunderstanding
before, but never seem to catch up. What I was trying
to get at in the original exchange was that what
happens in a story is most satisfactory for me when it
most deeply reveals a character's character. It's not
meant to be an invitation to authorial sadism. So it
would be much better expressed as "What is the most
revealing thing I can do to my character/s?"
I actually think that almost all real people are
damaged, merely some less visibly than others. It
accumulates with age and experience. So I fondly
imagine that I'm just writing about people being
people. The damage comes along for the ride.
(There was a particularly wonderful line from Good
Omens on that subject: "... most of the great
triumphs and tragedies of history are caused, not by
people being fundamentally good or fundamentally bad,
but by people being fundamentally people." )
Karen A.
WyleI'm glad
to read this explanation, as I dislike the
torture-one's-characters approach when presented
as a general rule and didn't think it fit what
I'I'm glad to read this
explanation, as I dislike the
torture-one's-characters approach when presented
as a general rule and didn't think it fit what
I've seen (which is a great deal!) of your
writing....more May 01,
2022 09:00AM ·
flag
M. NorthstarI'm
ambivalent about this. On the one hand, I
understand why a clarification is needed, but on
the other hand, I believe that - for those who do
underI'm ambivalent about this. On the
one hand, I understand why a clarification is
needed, but on the other hand, I believe that -
for those who do understand what you meant - the
original expression is much the more
profound.
Perhaps the real rule is: "What is the most
disruptive thing I can do to this person's status
quo?"...more Aug 17,
2022 07:22AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, I've done very little
fishing myself, and no drinking along-with, but I know
many people do. Fishing is big here in Minnesota, in
all weathers. A painter I once had joked, "I don't have
to go ice fishing -- my wife lets me drink at
home!"
But any occasion where characters can sit down together
makes a good setting for story-advancing dialogue, from
meals to being trapped on a boat.
JerriWhen I
first read the fishing opening of Penric's Fox, I
was reminded that in the opening segment of
Penric's Demon, when Penric was on the way to
hisWhen I first read the
fishing opening of Penric's Fox, I was reminded
that in the opening segment of Penric's Demon,
when Penric was on the way to his betrothal, he
was thinking it was a "better day for fishing",
and seemed to feel he would rather have been
fishing than in his best clothing for a betrothal
feast....more Mar 16,
2022 01:54PM ·
flag
DerekFishing
is a whole lot of sitting around waiting, with
brief periods of intense action. That reminds me
of a saying about the military, amusingly
enouFishing is a whole lot of sitting
around waiting, with brief periods of intense
action. That reminds me of a saying about the
military, amusingly enough. At any rate, all of
that sitting around waiting for a fish to bite
lends itself well to hanging out with people (my
wife doesn't like fishing or boating in general,
but my brother-in-law and his wife and 3 kids
often go out with me and my 4 kids) or alcohol
(in our group, only on the rare occasions when it
is men-only) to help the time pass.
If you're not catching anything there's a good
chance you don't have the right equipment, which
makes the "tedious enterprise" (as @Brzk
described it) a whole lot more satisfying.
I am in Minnesota as well, as Lois mentioned it's
part of the culture here....more Mar 22,
2022 07:29AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I've answered this before at greater length, somewhere,
if you scroll back through the pile, but I'm
in-between. I do a lot of general note taking, and
pushing ideas around on paper to see if they'll fit,
before I start writing, but it's as much a memory aid
as anything. I then narrow down on scenes, my basic
work unit, and outline each one quite a bit before I
sit down and write it out, sometimes mutating as it
goes. Then lather, rinse, repeat with the next scenes
in a chain. I don't outline in detail in advance;
future developments fade off into obscurity pretty
quickly, until I work my way closer.
I have more problems with characters sitting down and
not moving than with them running off.
PepsilovrThanks
for taking the time to answer. I write a short
synopsis of the next few scenes and then write
them one at a time. Sounds like you do
somethingThanks for taking the time to
answer. I write a short synopsis of the next few
scenes and then write them one at a time. Sounds
like you do something similar (only better than I
do). I love your descriptions—I’m lousy at
that—and the emotional connections you are able
to create between characters. I thought I hated
romance (ahem, in novels) until I read Shards of
Honor (and the other Vorkosigan novels) and
bawled my way through the Sharing Knife series.
Am currently on my way thru Sharing Knife the
second time now, taking mental notes. Didn’t
think I liked fantasy either, hah! Thanks for
disabusing me of those notions. I think I need a
Lakewalker to un-beguile me from Dag ;-)...more Mar 17,
2022 12:19PM ·
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Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't know if any Vorhartungs still exist or not.
Anyway, the Castle is Imperial property and has been
for quite some time, probably since some war in the
Bloody Centuries. The name just lingers, the way such
do.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Textev never says outright, but the facts of their
shown tech level implies they are certainly not below
galactic standard in health care including basic
genetic tweaking against gene-based disorders or
deficits; and for those who use replicators, any fresh
mutational accidents that happen during the chromosome
do-si-do of fertilization as well. Cosmetic changes,
hm. Basic ones probably allowed, but there might be a
borderline at which such measures might start to
impinge on the haut monopoly of the superpersons
project. The haut would always stay a couple of
generations ahead in any case.
Advanced tech levels pretty much have to be supported
bottom-up, even if partially directed top-down, just to
have the necessary educated people to do All. That.
Work. At which point such persons will also be taking
care of themselves and their own. The average
Cetagandans probably find their 8 planets pretty nice
places to live, and brush up against the secretive haut
very seldom. The ghem would be more visible.
Real population sizes not addressed, but nowhere is as
dense as Old Earth yet. Then or now.
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Hello, I hope you have signs of Spring
where you are :) I am finding Duv Galeni to be another
fascinating character - thank you for writing so many! I
know about his brother and father's deaths, but his
mother isn't really mentioned. She helped identify the
older brother, and I believe she is gone by the time we
meet Duv, but I wondered if she was around when he was
mid-late teen, or was he alone then? Thank you! (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldSpring is flirting with us here,
but it's often bait 'n switch -- April snowstorms are
not uncommon.
I have no information on Galeni's mom, sorry.
Possibilities range from her dying young, to still
being around but estranged, by politics or just by
distance or remarriage and/or emotional withdrawal from
the old pain of her first marriage and all it brought
with it. Or just by physical distance, of which there
is a lot. People do grow away from each other -- here
on Old Earth, emigration often meant never expecting to
see one's birth family again in one's lifetime, and
galactic travel times are not unlike old sea ones.
AndieHa, you
are right about April snowstorms. We had sleet
today (I am in Southern Ontario).
Thank you for the thoughts on Duv's mom .... I
had wondered vHa, you are right about April
snowstorms. We had sleet today (I am in Southern
Ontario).
Thank you for the thoughts on Duv's mom .... I
had wondered vaguely and you have so many
different possibilities to consider. The
connection to immigration on Old Earth is
interesting too, that's part of my own family
history .... lots to think about :)...more Mar 23,
2022 06:39PM ·
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Lois McMaster
BujoldThis one looks as if it would be
best answered in the comments, since it already covers
my work. Go for it, folks...
Curiously, I find my reread pile goes in and out of
fashion for me; things I thought I'd never tire of go
stale, others rise to the surface again after years.
Best shorthand I can think of for this effect is that
my psychological needs change over time, as do,
sometimes, the reasons I reread what turns out to be no
longer quite the same book.
I'm glad my work holds up for you. Judging from reviews
the book of mine that most changes its effect on
subsequent readings is The Hallowed Hunt;
possibly because readers stop fighting preconceptions
created by other books in the series and the
expectations of the genre generally, and start to take
it on its own terms.
Jonathan
PalfreyOver the
years I've reread many times Alexei Panshin's
trilogy "Star Well", "The Thurb Revolution", and
"Masque World", which have definitely been
comOver the years I've reread many
times Alexei Panshin's trilogy "Star Well", "The
Thurb Revolution", and "Masque World", which have
definitely been comfort reading for me; and the
hero Anthony Villiers is congenial, even as
Penric is congenial, although the two of them
have somewhat different personalities and
lifestyles. I don't seem to have been rereading
the Villiers books quite so often in recent
years, I think because I know them too well by
now, they've become over-familiar. But I'm still
fond of them....more Mar 29,
2022 04:00PM ·
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Tea73I've
reread The Lord of the Rings more than twenty
times, but must confess the last time I reread
it, I no longer felt like it was teh best book in
thI've reread The Lord of the
Rings more than twenty times, but must confess
the last time I reread it, I no longer felt like
it was teh best book in the world. I still reread
Dorothy Sayers regularly. I recently reread Dune
and felt it held up very well. Elizabeth Moon's
books are very rereadable. I like the ones set in
space better than the Paksenanarian books which
started off strong, but went downhill after the
first three....more Apr 25,
2022 07:58AM ·
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Lois McMaster
Bujold
Vast cities are described; who do you think lives
there?! Not to mention who built all that. And does all
the other everyday work that keeps a high-tech society
running, much of which is not very high-tech.
"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence."
Turning that around, evidence galore should surely be
evidence of presence, even if not many get speaking
parts in the highly focused story you see.
JoannaThere is
also the story of Terrence Cee form "Ethan of
Athos" – his special gene came from "migrant
witch-woman, deformed, impoverished, and quite
madThere is also the story of
Terrence Cee form "Ethan of Athos" – his special
gene came from "migrant witch-woman, deformed,
impoverished, and quite mad", who had been "swept
from her slum hovel" (so probably there are slums
on something-Ceta). And the doctor who discovered
her had been few steps removed from
ghem-lords....more Mar 22,
2022 02:39AM ·
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KarenhuntAlso in
Ethan of Athos are ghem-Lord Millisor's team:
Rau, Setti, and Okita. None of them are ghem. And
Millisor thinks of them (or at least Okita)
asAlso in Ethan of Athos are
ghem-Lord Millisor's team: Rau, Setti, and Okita.
None of them are ghem. And Millisor thinks of
them (or at least Okita) as tools, not really as
people....more Mar 28,
2022 04:41AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyPerhaps
it came more naturally to me to read Wyndham,
because he and I are both British—although he was
approximately of my grandparents'
generation.Perhaps it came more naturally to
me to read Wyndham, because he and I are both
British—although he was approximately of my
grandparents' generation. It's a long time since
I read any of his novels ("The Chrysalids" was
perhaps the best of them), but there are a few of
his short stories that I like, and reread
occasionally ("Odd", "Stitch in time", "Random
quest")....more Mar 29,
2022 12:47AM ·
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AndieI find
them very enjoyable to re-read - the Kraken
Wakes, Day of the Triffids, and Web are probably
the ones I go to most often. I would say Day of
thI find them very enjoyable
to re-read - the Kraken Wakes, Day of the
Triffids, and Web are probably the ones I go to
most often. I would say Day of the Triffids,
Midwich Cuckoos, and Chrysalids may be my
favourites. I enjoy his stories although they are
quite different to the Vorkosigan universe.
Creative and interesting stories, for me
anyway!...more Mar 29,
2022 04:32AM ·
flag
OkcrowWyndham’s
work was extraordinary and far ahead of his
time. Apr 06,
2022 10:44PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I have an old and close circle of friends with whom I
still trade test-reads or critique of my work in
progress, some writers, some just very good readers. I
have had a long history of crit groups over the
decades, changing as my needs or location has; it all
pretty much goes by email nowadays, so geographical
proximity is no longer an issue.
My indie-published works do not have a publisher or
editor, it's all do-it-myself here in my
semi-retirement. I figure if I don't know what I'm
doing by now, it is probably Too Late. But my
professional editors were very valuable to me in my
earlier years, and helped build up the foundation I now
rest upon.
A very good source for level-headed writing advice is
Patricia C. Wrede's blog at https://pcwrede.com/blog/
Aspiring writers could start at the beginning and read
it all, or use the search function to narrow in on
topics of interest.
Her ebook Wrede on Writing has a more compact
collection. (Pat's been one of that aforementioned
circle since the mid 80s.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Art vs. Commerce is one of those balances that have
varied over the years. It was my good luck that early
in my career the stories I had a taste for, and those
people would buy, had an identifiable overlap, so
"finding my audience" wasn't insurmountable. What I
found most pressing back then wasn't content, but the
need for speed of production in pro publishing.
Publishers wanted reliable writers who would deliver on
time and regularly; a book a year or more.
By mid-career, I was more-or-less trusting my audience.
From whom a writer had much LESS feedback at that time,
therefore marginally less crazy-making. (Because reader
response, over any very wide range of persons, is a
contradictory cacophony. I was fortunate to learn this
early on even without the internet.) And my editors
were trusting both me and and their customers, so,
while I certainly wanted to write things my publishers
could sell, most of my pressure was internal and
speed-related.
Pat Wrede, as usual, had a good line for it: if you
write something you don't like thinking it's "for the
market", and it doesn't sell, you will have wasted your
time utterly; and it's worse if it does, because then
people will just want more of what you didn't
want to write in the first place.
Post-career, none of that applies anymore. I need only
write what I like (not that I could ever do anything
else) and sales, though nice, are mainly a way of
keeping score. What's much harder now is finding any
story idea that I like well enough to write at all, and
that's enough different from the ever-larger pile of
things I wrote before that I bore neither myself
(critical) nor my readers.
AndieI've been
thinking about this since you posted it - the
costs of making choices that are "what others
want/like" versus what you want to do.
ObviouslyI've been thinking about this
since you posted it - the costs of making choices
that are "what others want/like" versus what you
want to do. Obviously there's the common good
sort of thing where it makes sense to think of
others (tidying the kitchen versus going to read
in the bath) ... but what about when you set
aside something important to you, does it set a
precedent and become a trap? This answer
generalizes to more than just writing, I think.
Hmmmmm ........more Apr 13,
2022 07:10PM ·
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Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, "ser" is meant as a minor
middle-upper-middle-class honorific, roughly equivalent
to "mister". There could be a matching "sera", but
Barrayarans would tend to revert to the more familiar
French/British "madame".
I did recycle my "ser - sera" nomenclature to 5-gods
Adria-Lodi, both it and Komarr being inspired by
historical Venice.
BrzkAh. This
input should well be considered. Apologies, had
to look up Ray, different culture, etc. I was
thinking that Penric's ethereal beauty and
alieAh. This input should well be
considered. Apologies, had to look up Ray,
different culture, etc. I was thinking that
Penric's ethereal beauty and alien height and
coloring, not to mention The Hair would fit the
classic anime tropes nicely. Lois brings true
artist's originality where I see a mere pattern,
and true vision where i only look for
semblance....more Apr 18,
2022 01:42PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Such decisions are made by media producers -- the
people with the money and, it must be observed, who
undertake the financial risk as well as all the work --
not by fans, but here you go.
Peter
LawsonRichard,
you’ve pushed a lot of my favourites as well. I
reread a lot of these for comfort when I can’t
cope with reading something new. I won’t say
hRichard, you’ve pushed a lot
of my favourites as well. I reread a lot of these
for comfort when I can’t cope with reading
something new. I won’t say how many times I’ve
reread Lois’ books … except lots! There are
plenty in the Sharing Knife and Penric and
Desdemona series as well...more Apr 27,
2022 04:35AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
As always, my pointer for newbie writers is Pat Wrede's
blog, and/or her ebook Wrede on Writing. Some of
the most level-headed writing advice on the net, and
covers, over time, a wide range of topics. (The search
function is useful for netting particular interests.)
https://pcwrede.com/blog/
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Naming is a default custom, not a law; people
can and do vary it, for any number of reasons. I can
think of lots that might have been the case here, as I
expect you can too, but I haven't needed to settle on
one.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not really; SF and Fantasy are sort of universal
receivers, that can absorb all other genre tropes. I
have written several different genres even within the
same series, and never really had to venture "outside"
to explore.
Problems of how to professionally publish in more than
one genre or even one subgenre are challenging in the
market, due to the way "names" have to be built up to
make minimally financially successful sales volumes.
Writers who make a go of this need to be prolific
(which I am not, especially) and/or to write under more
than one name. (Though e-publishing tips over the
old-school game board in interesting ways.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The novella is too short to publish in paperback by
itself -- the Subterranean Press limited hardcover was
about the only way to get it on paper without a few
sibling stories to make up market weight. That edition
is sold out at the publisher, but one can still get
copies from Uncle Hugo's or Dreamhaven Books here in
Minneapolis.
You can, of course, download the free Kindle app to
most devices -- not sure about Nook and Apple
Books.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
That was serendipity. I do not remember at what point I
gave Cordelia's late dad his full name, from which
Mark's (and Miles's) actually come, whether it was in
BiA or earlier. (Well, Da Naismith's first name of
course came much earlier, when Miles was named after
him.) The unit of money was also named way earlier.
Though if my belatedly seized inspiration looks like
long-laid planning, so much the better.
Angie PettyThe
quotability of LMB’s writing is why I reread her
books over and over. There’s always some point
where I stop and think “oh yeah, I had forgotten
tThe quotability of LMB’s
writing is why I reread her books over and over.
There’s always some point where I stop and think
“oh yeah, I had forgotten that little gem.” I
keep promising myself I’ll make a list of these
bits so I can refer back to them quickly and as
often as I want. But then, that May sidetrack the
pleasure of a reread....more May 05,
2022 04:53AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'm so glad you discovered my work! Also that you
nabbed the whole set right off -- unlike my other more
episodic series books, The Sharing Knife really
is one story in 4 volumes, and needs to be read
together like The Lord of the Rings.
Much more exploration awaits you. Be it noted, some of
these things are not like the others, as I vary my
style according to viewpoint and world.
JerriEnjoy
reading your find. I suspect that you didn't find
the more recently published novella, set some
years after the final volume, Knife Children.
AvEnjoy reading your find. I
suspect that you didn't find the more recently
published novella, set some years after the final
volume, Knife Children. Available in audiobook,
eBook and limited edition hardback....more May 04,
2022 04:29AM ·
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Lois McMaster
Bujold
They're distracted by the internet? It takes a long
time to get famous, and at that point, they're old and
tired? People don't write as fast as you imagine? Your
question is rhetorical, sure, but really, your guess is
as good as mine.
There is certainly no shortage of new writers with new
works, so I don't think you risk running out of books
soon.
Although I do note, the sort of cutting edge and
science speculation that only SF used to bring to
isolated readers can now be found online in abundance
with the real thing, real science doing amazing things
that its practitioners are delighted to show you. Hard
to compete with that, or even keep up.
Kevin
CarsonI'm glad
Cory Doctorow and Kim Stanley Robinson, two of my
favorites, are still so prolific.I'm glad Cory Doctorow and Kim
Stanley Robinson, two of my favorites, are still
so prolific....more May 06,
2022 03:48PM ·
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Brok3nJohn
Scalzi published /The Kaiju Preservation Society/
15-Mar-2022. It is, IMHO, a splendid novel in its
own special way. May 06,
2022 04:24PM ·
flag
TerryFame is
fleeting and, as noted, people get old. There are
many newly famous authors, but as we readers age,
it’s hard for us to keep up. Trying to worFame is fleeting and, as noted,
people get old. There are many newly famous
authors, but as we readers age, it’s hard for us
to keep up. Trying to work through some current
Hugo nominees, many of whom are new to me, though
perhaps not new to younger readers. So it
goes....more May 08,
2022 05:39AM ·
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AndieJohnathan,
what a great way to explain it! There's an
excitement of meeting new characters and getting
to know them, but to me it's even more
rewardinJohnathan, what a great way to
explain it! There's an excitement of meeting new
characters and getting to know them, but to me
it's even more rewarding to spend more time with
them, to learn more about their philosophies and
motivations, etc. That is, for the kind of books
that are rich enough to re-read regularly....more May 09,
2022 03:57AM ·
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Laureen
HartI
frequently re-read a book, sometimes right after
I have finished it. If it was a book I was
waiting for (like all of Lois's) I gobble it up
quickly.I frequently re-read a book,
sometimes right after I have finished it. If it
was a book I was waiting for (like all of Lois's)
I gobble it up quickly. Because I race through
it, I miss a lot. Re-reading allows me to absorb
the subtle stuff and get the full flavor. Some
books I re-read dozens of times - Like Paladin of
Souls....more May 14,
2022 12:15PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
There have been no new story starts this past winter
('21 - '22), so, nothing in the pipeline soon. Breath
holding contraindicated.
Cathy
AbernathyDitto both
of the above! May 16,
2022 08:48AM
Susan PriceThe Prices
are always happy for a new LMB novel or novella
-- or even a new format. Now have all your books
currently available thru Audible for roadThe Prices are always happy for a
new LMB novel or novella -- or even a new format.
Now have all your books currently available thru
Audible for road trips, for instance....more Jul 10,
2022 05:14PM
The story referred to, for those who are wondering, was
my last piece of fanfiction (Sherlock Holmes, in this
case), written somewhat out of the blue in my late 20s.
I now think of it as the baby writer trying to peck her
way out of the egg, not breaking through yet.
When, in the mid 90s, the SF convention Boskone, at
which I was writer guest-of-honor, was putting together
their traditional souvenir book of unpublished or other
oddments from their GoHs, I didn't have many pieces of
unpublished work, as I had done very few short stories
after I turned pro, and they'd all (eventually) sold
except for that very first novelette, "Dreamweaver's
Dilemma". Scraping the barrel, I found the typescript
of that fan story, missing its last page, and added it
just to help fluff up things.
DD also contains the short story contents of the
later Proto Zoa, a few early essays, an
introduction by Lillian Stewart Carl some of which I
think later got recycled into The Vorkosigan
Companion, and some material from the NESFA
editors.
The NESFA Press edition of this is still available in
trade paperback, with a few copies sloshing around the
used market.
https://www.amazon.com/Dreamweavers-D... or
sometimes Uncle Hugo's can get signed copies.
I consider the fanfic piece to be juvenilia, not part
of my early pro work, or I'd have included it in
Proto Zoa.
I rewrote some sort of closure for it, as best as
I could remember or devise at the time. So it did
have a proper ending for NESFA. Written by@MPAM --
I rewrote some sort of closure for it, as best as
I could remember or devise at the time. So it did
have a proper ending for NESFA. Written by me, so
I suppose it counts...
Lois McMaster
BujoldI'm
not really sure what you are asking for. For some
writers, I expect first books recede into the dim mists
of time and memory as an increasingly vague blur. The
continuing series that Shards of Honor launched
in 1986, the need for proofreading reprints of various
kinds over the years, and new reviews from readers
still just now discovering it has kept it relatively
fresh in my mind.
It's... OK, I guess? At this point, 36 years on from
first publication (40 from first starting to write it),
I'm pretty sure of its survival in the marketplace, so
I no longer feel much need to defend it as a
covertly-economically-anxious new writer struggling to
hold a spot on bookstore shelves. The kids'll be all
right, as some song fragment puts it.
The characters from the book still seem to be finding
life in some unknown number of readers' minds, which is
the only kind of life they can have. So, all good.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nothing new on Pen & Des is in progress or in the
pipeline right now.
However, I do have a rather unexpected personal
nonfiction project upcoming, an e-chapbook of family
historical documents that I compiled and edited, on
which I'll be making a more complete announcement on
the blog here later this month when I make it available
through Kindle. So don't let your tablet get too dusty
yet.
The e-chapbook will be titled The Gerould Family of
New Hampshire in the Civil War, and I've made a
preview of the main contents available in my "Lois's
Writing" aka "My Writing" slot here on Goodreads,
https://www.goodreads.com/story/list/...
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not answerable -- the gods are ineffable -- and it's
hard to say what happens to a soul in the hands of any
god over enough time. But it's fair to guess that
people who have been in the afterlife a short time like
a century or so will have the most resemblance to their
earthly selves, the way ghosts hold their forms only
more so, but will begin to change to something less
imaginable over longer time, like many millennia.
"Union with god" may be rather literal over those
scales.
Much the way the next 90 years may shape a person more
than the first 9 months, however critical those 9
months were for existence at all. And will certainly be
better remembered.
So there would likely be the most perceived differences
in one's experience of the afterlife near its
beginning, with, mm, maybe not fading differences, but
less understandable ones, as time goes on.
Or, imagine trying to explain college life to a 3-month
fetus. Heaven here is not a replication of life in the
world only better, but an existence qualitatively
different, however much it still depends on the world
for its growth and sustenance.
Remember, these are not creator gods, but created ones,
emergent properties of the world. Though for life after
death, they are the only game in town.
Lois McMaster
BujoldDefinitely chose another name/s.
"Xav" likely features somewhere, speaking of war hero
relatives. That diplomat-prince at least had a good
galactic reputation
"Ezar" may not appear either, given his history with
Komarr, which Barrayar is trying to retroactively woo.
Current success patchy but sufficient.
MitaliHah, I
thought exactly the same thing - that Gregor's
views on naming his son "Serg" would be roughly
along the lines of "over my dead body". And
thatHah, I thought exactly the same
thing - that Gregor's views on naming his son
"Serg" would be roughly along the lines of "over
my dead body". And that he would probably wind up
naming his son "Xav", after one of his few
ancestors* who had an undeniably positive
reputation, both on Barrayar and abroad. *(Ok,
not a direct ancestor, but close enough.)
I didn't really think about the name "Ezar" in
terms of the Komarran view of the former emperor
(considering that poor Aral bore the brunt of the
blame for that fiasco), but given that Ezar was
also responsible for starting the war with
Escobar, the name probably has a poor galactice
reputation as well....more Sep 01,
2022 03:39AM ·
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Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
answer to this question would have changed through time
and local polities (countships). Before the end of the
Time of Isolation, it wasn't a question that could even
be asked, as the tech did not exist. The disruptions of
the Occupation and its war would have prevented anyone
focusing on such issues, but the tech would have been
leaking slowly out from the more to the less developed
areas. In general, it's something that would be left to
families, not taken up in legislatures -- this could be
good or bad.
The law tended to skirt around "women's work". So it's
more likely any permissions would be the purview of the
mother rather than the father, for girls. Remember,
minor girls are by default in the legal custody of
their mothers, not their fathers.
By Gregor's reign, empire-wide "galactic standard",
i.e., Cordelia-driven, customs of leaving the decision
to individuals (so yes, the women) would prevail. (And
do remember, that's not the only contraceptive on the
market, tho' likely the most reliable -- older methods
would also remain in circulation.) Celibacy (for women)
would remain a lingering social ideal long after it had
become medically moot, I expect. The way it does.
Lara MillerWell, I
didn't have the time to go do actual (if
pleasant) research, so I gave you the first
example that came to mind. *shrug* As another
example thaWell, I didn't have the time to go
do actual (if pleasant) research, so I gave you
the first example that came to mind. *shrug* As
another example that comes to my memory without
undue effort on my part, there's the discussion
about Vormuir and his army of little girls.
Ekaterin mentions that they ought to belong to
their mothers, but Miles didn't pursue that
argument, thinking that the unknowing mothers
would be upset and not appreciate having a
daughter dumped on them.
(Another tangent - I wasn't really happy about
those women with the stolen eggs having their
claims dismissed without a hearing, but I can at
least imagine that in the background of the story
they'd have a chance to find out they had
surprise daughters and maybe do something about
it.)...more Jun 23,
2022 01:54PM ·
flag
DerekThanks
Lara! I finally had a chance to go back and
reread that section, and you're entirely right -
I'd remembered the dowries but forgotten about
theThanks Lara! I finally had a
chance to go back and reread that section, and
you're entirely right - I'd remembered the
dowries but forgotten about the legal side of
things. Thanks for pointing that out!
By the way, about Vormuir's plot: (view
spoiler)[ He had used spare eggs that
were slated for destruction, hoping for a legal
loophole that they were considered "waste" -
hence the need for an Auditor's attention. Also,
the women whose eggs they were didn't know, and
telling them wasn't even really discussed, though
Ekatarin thought that they would mostly find it
distressing (which is why she didn't suggest it).
Personally I feel like they should have been
informed, but I suppose my values don't
necessarily factor into the Barrayaran legal
system nor social norms. Though any legal suits
brought to bear on Vormuir to claim custody of
the girls would have helped punish him,
considering his investment cost of gestating them
and the lawyer costs defending himself... hm.
(hide
spoiler)]...more Jun 29,
2022 07:22PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
One of the reasons the plot of that tale veered toward
the social rather than the scientific was indeed the
timescale of realistic research. I can think of ways it
might have succeeded, and ways it might have failed;
the only certainty is that there would need to be many
trials to get it right, and even then it might flounder
on economic-feasibility rocks.
I would point out that a number of attempted
bio-solutions in our world have not gone well; cane
toads ferex. (Ask an Australian about that one.)
Biotechie people are welcome to speculate in the
comments...
Kate
DavenportI’m
thinking of the reintroduction of top predators
to Yellowstone and the western states, the rise
of no-till and chemical free farming,
ImmunotherapI’m thinking of the reintroduction
of top predators to Yellowstone and the western
states, the rise of no-till and chemical free
farming, Immunotherapy, and general rewilding. I
guess just a general turn to whole system
management rather than single focus tech based
solutions....more Jun 18,
2022 06:18PM ·
flag
Kate
DavenportAlso, I
like the test, assess and refine in you
description. Too often people seem to abandon a
potential solution because it is not perfect
right outAlso, I like the test, assess and
refine in you description. Too often people seem
to abandon a potential solution because it is not
perfect right out of the box....more Jun 18,
2022 06:21PM ·
flag
Brok3nActually,
I've always been impressed with the
thermodynamics of the Pen & Des stories. It is
obvious that Des manipulates entropy, although
she callsActually, I've always been
impressed with the thermodynamics of the Pen &
Des stories. It is obvious that Des manipulates
entropy, although she calls it "chaos"....more Jun 23,
2022 08:27AM ·
flag
Yes, exactly. Five Gods magic does not violate
the laws of thermodynamics.
Which is also the direct connection to biology,
which doesn't do so eith@ L:
Yes, exactly. Five Gods magic does not violate
the laws of thermodynamics.
Which is also the direct connection to biology,
which doesn't do so either -- the self-creation
of local order in biological systems is always at
the cost of shedding or waste of increased
disorder into the environment. Life has been
described, memorably, as rising by climbing up
the mast of a sinking ship.
Both coming to the same result, though perhaps
Cordelia's enthusiasm would have been tempered by
maternal concerns that would not occur to Elli. Elli
did seem quite willing to just be a cuckoo, and fly
away afterward.
Travis
TorreyShe would
have become the Vicereine of Athos. Sure, you
bet. Nov 30,
2022 09:06PM ·
flag
Sara
HarrisonI still
want a short story (or even a scene!) with Ethan
and Elli's sons. Can't we get the adventures of
Quinn Urquhart somewhere? With updates on
allI still want a short story (or
even a scene!) with Ethan and Elli's sons. Can't
we get the adventures of Quinn Urquhart
somewhere? With updates on all of his
brothers?...more Mar 18,
2023 04:47PM ·
flag
AndieI saw
Richard the III recently and one of my secret
joys was recognizing where I have heard/read
certain lines before ... especially in the
VorkosiganI saw Richard the III recently and
one of my secret joys was recognizing where I
have heard/read certain lines before ...
especially in the Vorkosigan series, since
Barrayarans apparently know and appreciate
Shakespeare!...more Jun 29,
2022 06:27PM ·
flag
PatThis is
why I cherish your writing..."the backbone to
stand up even to his conscience."This is why I cherish your
writing..."the backbone to stand up even to his
conscience."...more Jul 09,
2022 04:36AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldTrigger and content warnings are
a custom that has arisen in online fan fiction.
Professional fiction for an adult market has never had
them, the audience being assumed to be grownups with
agency capable of making and owning their own choices.
To me, it would feel like infantilizing my
audience.
Somebody else choosing and applying such tags for my
work pre-publication would feel a little too close to
censorship. Though I suppose it would be better than
direct censorship. (Though I can see how it could be
argued that this would actually remove the need for
censorship, as it maybe seems to do in fanfiction. But
I suspect it would just result in authors
self-censoring in the effort to avoid
audience-and-sales-reducing tags, and editors and
publishers encouraging it for the same economic
reasons.)
There is also the problem, if one starts such a thing,
of where to stop, since there will always be one
more outlier who could be imagined to be unhappy about
something in the content however arcane or
idiosyncratic. Thus those warning/tag blocks one
sometimes sees in fanfic that have a higher word-count
than the story being prefaced...
That said, I am starting to see such warnings prefacing
recent professional work self-supplied by authors who
seem to have come out of the fanfiction culture. (It's
almost a marker.) So we may be on the verge of a
generational divide with respect to this custom.
What friends have to say to friends when handing books
around has nothing to do with the foregoing, it should
not be necessary to say but probably is.
Ta, L.
(The way fan readers-and-writers set up their own ways
of categorizing and filtering work, for their own
needs, see ferex Ao3's methods of indexing, as
contrasted with the way traditional publishing and
bookstores do, is a study worth its own essay or
possibly book.)
Jane
BigelowIf I'd
been warned about content in a fantasy novel that
I read recently, it wouldn't have done me any
good at all. The issue was years and years in
mIf I'd been warned about
content in a fantasy novel that I read recently,
it wouldn't have done me any good at all. The
issue was years and years in my past, and I
didn't even know it was still painful until I
read it. Also, if I had realized and refrained
from reading it, I would have missed a really
good book!...more Jul 04,
2022 10:18AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldHa. I see
"Ask the Internet" has come through -- someone
has set up a presumably reader-produced trigger
warning database, so authors and publishers
mHa. I see "Ask the Internet"
has come through -- someone has set up a
presumably reader-produced trigger warning
database, so authors and publishers may be
relieved of that tangled puzzle.
I can't post a link here in the comments, but
look for: triggerwarningdatabase...more Jul 22,
2022 08:57AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldHeh. I agree with you as to the
unwieldiness of the series name. (Some fans abbreviate
it "5GU" for "five gods universe" in casual posts, but
I felt that was not identifier enough for the
uninitiated; also I have not yet committed to my
theological world-building extending beyond one
planet.) "Pentheon" is amusing and succinct, but might
make for some confusion with respect to one of my
protagonist's names.
Not that there aren't people named things like
"Theophilus" or "Theodosia" in real life...
Ta, L.
(It's also now engraved on my Hugo for Best Series, so
rather indelible.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
did persuade myself to start it in the theory it was
going to be a novella. When I approached the ~40k word
limit for that form and my crew had not yet made it to
Thasalon, I conceded. I toyed for a while with
splitting it into a novella duology, but decided I'd
prefer to keep the story together. As long as it didn't
eat a year to write, which it didn't, thankfully. (I
still think of it as a novella that got out of hand.)
Well, part of the aim of the Pen & Des series was that
it was not to be bound to any pre-set template, so, all
good.
Lois McMaster
BujoldMy
maps tend to be pretty rudimentary. There was one of
wormhole jump relationships I think I devised for
The Vor Game, but nothing more official. There
might be something fan-made around -- commenters could
chime in below.
Otherwise, there was Ron Miller's nice poster of the
e-covers, which I think is still available somewhere.
I'd have to scroll way back through my blog for the
link, or someone might have it offhand.
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[While I was rereading Cetaganda I reread
the goodbye scene between Miles and Rian. All through the
book Miles thinks to himself how she never leads him on,
but they both seem to believe otherwise in this scene.
What am I missing? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldNot
much more than the characters are realizing, I think, a
moment of mourning for a personal opportunity of some
closer relationship that never really was.
(Other readers may chime in with other interpretations.
The hazard of leaving things subtly unspoken between
the lines is that readers don't always fill in the
blanks with what the writer had in mind.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I have a 40-year traditional publishing career behind
me, which did my marketing for me, pretty much. So I'm
not the best person to answer this question. I have no
idea how such things work, but I'd be very cautious of
claims from would-be book marketers, or anyone else who
is making their money from you and not from your book
(as a publisher does.) There are simply too many ebooks
competing for too few eyes, too little reading
time.
This is the internet age, so there have to be a million
self-help sites and vids out there; the problem is
finding a legitimate and actually useful one. Kristine
Katherine Rusch's blog is a good known starting point
for experienced advice. https://kriswrites.com/
Another more recent presenter I ran across who
impressed me with being pretty level-headed was
YouTuber M.K. Williams, ferex https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LsqE...
But ultimately, books have to sell themselves, be
appealing enough to enough readers to keep them coming
back for more, and recommending them on to their
friends. This requires a) writing enjoyable or useful
books, and b) writing more books to come back
for. As a rule of thumb, both pre- and
post-internet, a writer is better off directing their
limited time-energy budget toward producing new quality
work than various frantic or annoying attempts at
marketing.
An error I saw in the early days of the internet
egoldrush with respect to b) was writers throwing all
kinds of old crap up just to have more items to catch
the eye, ultimately counterproductive. Every book put
up needs to be good enough to bring its random reader
back for more, because that may be the only chance to
snag that readerly eye the writer gets. (The hitch in
this plausible advice is the definition of "good",
which in reading is very subjective. Understanding this
has allowed quite a few indie writers to do well in
their own quirky niche markets that Big Publishing is
not structured to serve.)
If any commenters do have actual experience with modern
book marketers, or "marketers" as the case may be, good
or bad, do chime in down below. It strikes me as an
arena that would be rife with scamming pitfalls.
Laura
(Kyahgirl)I don’t
personally have experience with this but want to
say that its worth having a look at Ilona Andrews
blog. Over the years they have published aI don’t personally have experience
with this but want to say that its worth having a
look at Ilona Andrews blog. Over the years they
have published a lot of information about how the
publishing world works and they have experience
with traditional publishing and self publishing.
It might be a good place to start for down to
earth author insights....more Jul 26,
2022 05:42PM ·
flag
PeterHey
Lucille
you can contact me via my facebook and I will be
happy to talk to you about your books - no
promises but I may be able to offer some
usefuHey Lucille
you can contact me via my facebook and I will be
happy to talk to you about your books - no
promises but I may be able to offer some useful
advice....more Jul 31,
2022 04:29AM ·
flag
VivaineFrom
the perspective of a niche reader I find the
majority of my new authors through a) Amazon and
Goodreads recommendations, b) review sites that
folFrom the perspective of a niche
reader I find the majority of my new authors
through a) Amazon and Goodreads recommendations,
b) review sites that follow my niche, and c)
Goodreads reader groups that do reviews and
awards. You might also look into NetGalley .com -
I've used many reviews by their readers to choose
new authors. I hope this is helpful....more Aug 07,
2022 06:37AM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[So I was re-reading "Paladin of Souls"
this weekend and taken over by a rather horrible
speculation. Please tell me that Desdemona's ultimate
fate is not to be corrupted into Joen's ancient demon. On
the one hand I can't imagine you doing that to Des. But
Joen's demon is "dozens of lives" and "centuries" old.
Tell me it's not so. Des is too strong to be corrupted
like that by now. Right? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Correct, Joen's demon is not Des. But an interesting
compare-and-contrast about how much can go wrong with a
demon too long in the world under corrupt and
corrupting and/or ignorant masters.
Desdemona was much luckier in her riders, not least
because she fell into shrewd and nurturing Temple hands
soon enough.
Best Temple vs. Worst Hedge is kind of cherry-picking
the moral gradient; there can be hedge sorcerers who do
well, due to their personal integrity, and Temple
sorcerers who do badly due to their lack of same -- we
saw an example in Tronio. But the Temple's oversight,
or, more correctly, the oversight of the better folks
in the Temple, do try to improve the odds.
A demon's underlying nature is chaotic-destructive;
that never goes away. Even a demon as "good" as Des
could be spoiled if it fell into the hands of a bad
enough rider. Whether a demon as smart as Des
could get herself out of that trap, ah, more promptly
than natural is another interesting knock-on question.
With its own consequences...
Heh. Cordelia is sort of a maternal fantasy for me --
she does it so much better than I ever could.
Professional driver, closed course, as they disclaim in
those commercials.
Jonathan
PalfreyAs a boy,
I read whatever I felt like reading, including
books that my parents bought for themselves. I
know I was reading some adult novels at the
agAs a boy, I read whatever I
felt like reading, including books that my
parents bought for themselves. I know I was
reading some adult novels at the age of 9; I had
a little diary at that time and noted what I was
reading....more Aug 10,
2022 12:02AM ·
flag
ZephyCordelia
was a role maternal model for me, as well. Not
that I always lived up to the model, but she sure
helped me think things thru. Aug 13,
2022 11:25AM ·
flag
Michelle
KotheSo my
daughter (26) is Elli and my son (23) is Miles.
We did this totally by accident. Both my husband
and I love your books and when we were
thinkingSo my daughter (26) is Elli and my
son (23) is Miles. We did this totally by
accident. Both my husband and I love your books
and when we were thinking of names we both
settled on these out of our shortlist. Some years
after my son was born we suddenly realized why we
had liked those names so much 🤣...more Aug 16,
2022 04:16AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldNothing metaphorical; it was just
an adventure book (and movie, by the way) that would be
utterly alien to the quaddies, but that modern readers
would recognize, and thus recognize the absurd
mismatch. (Well... maybe.) It has a sequel, Rupert
of Hentzau, an early entry into the "let's explore
the villain as a hero of his own tale" trope. I've read
both, long ago.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThere is no Vorkosigan (nor, just
at the moment, anything else) in the works, so the
question is moot.
As a general rule for all my work, my process is to
have the idea and to have worked through at least the
first several chapters, and ideally most of the first
draft, before discussing contracts or even content with
anyone. I want it to feel really solid before making
promises.
Historically, this has varied quite a lot, including
having sold a work on a one-word outline as part of a
3-book contract and then writing something completely
else. (As I dimly recall, it was "Quaddies", a vague
notion for a sequel to Falling Free, which
actually ended up being The Vor Game. No one
complained.) But I'm much more comfortable selling work
after it is written.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThat's a frequently asked
question! But no, she remains one of the many dangling
threads that happen when a writer makes up so many
people.
...33 years ago, from my point of view, even though
some readers will have just met her last week.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
Zangre was inspired by the Alcazar of Segovia
(Cazaril's name is also a part anagram from the same
source.) I don't know the Verdi opera, alas, but if you
do, that may be enough to figure it out.
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Just curious - do you have names in mind
for Cordelia's future daughters, or Jole's future sons?
Do you think you might ever write about them? Or about
Ivan and Tej's children, if they choose to have any?
These little teases of what might happen next always
leave me so curious. (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
don't have any plans at this time for NextGen tales,
no. Nor names in mind, although I'm pretty sure the
crown prince is named Xav.
Ivan and Tej will likely have children eventually, one
trusts in time to gratify Alys.
No, I'd not heard of Flaherty, though after my series
got started many short soldiers of history were brought
to my attention, most interestingly Prince Eugene of
Savoy and Homer Lea. (Both worth a look-up.) Miles's
actual inspirational roots run more to T. E. Lawrence
and the young Winston Churchill, though not in any 1:1
manner.
The trouble with real-world prognostication it that it
tends to straight-line thinking, "if this goes on",
when in fact events are a giant snarl of many factors
all of them constantly changing, interacting and
mutating, with new and unanticipated ones jumping in
from the side out of seeming-nowhere. Realistic
fictional speculation should share a touch of this, I
think.
Lois McMaster
BujoldNo,
sorry, I am not a professional reviewer, and I do not
read and review on request. My Goodreads reviews are
merely comments on (some) things I chanced to read
already.
I also do not review works I did not finish, anything I
did not like (strong overlap there) or, usually, more
than volume one of multi-part works.
(Thank you, by the way, for not putting in the
particulars of your book into this unavoidably public
reply forum, turning the question into a stealth ad
that I can only deal with by not answering at all. I
appreciate the courtesy.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldMm,
maybe, but more likely not. The Barrayarans might have
gained temporary control in space, of the wormholes and
maybe the orbitals. But if the purpose of the war was
to annex a functioning planet, and not just reduce it
to a cinder, that's ground war of a very ugly and
expensive sort, with a very long and thin supply line.
Escobar also has a considerable population
advantage.
One must also consider the wider diplomatic context.
Intimidating the neighbors is one thing; terrifying
them into uniting against you, another, and more than
two can play that game. Possibly by different rules.
Cetagandan micro-surgically-genetically targeted
biowar, anyone...? (Which, if the target planet can be
quarantined behind wormholes, bears less risk of
blowing back on the caster. Highly inadvisable if the
opposing sides are occupying the same planet.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldIn
the real world, "ineffable" is usually a synonym for
"we haven't figured it out yet", or "this is too hard
for me to understand." Still, what is
understanding? For most people, it's metaphors all the
way down.
Though if you take "ineffable" as a description of an
emotional response, akin to "awe", mm, maybe.
That said, it's interesting to imagine the sort of
mental effort that went into development of the
scientific worldview in our world going into practical
theology in Penric's world. (The medieval Scholastics
make a fascinating study as a worked bad example. So
much brainpower wasted on so little use...)
Lois McMaster
BujoldHee! Now there's a question
worthy of Scholastic-style debates... which I am sure
enliven the halls Wot5G seminaries, with or without
late-night beer.
Ta, L.
(Dang, "5GU" was a more succinct acronym. Too late
now.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, I have more in the world of
course -- The Hallowed Hunt and the, now, 11
Penric & Desdemona tales -- but presuming you've
already found those, I suspect what you hanker for are
the particular characters from those first two novels.
Thing is, I feel both Cazaril's and Ista's great
spiritual journeys are complete. Anything added would
be anticlimax or smudging. Novellas are less ruled out,
but would feel like writing my own fanfiction. Which I
am not above doing, but the story-notions that have
compelled me have gone in other directions.
If one looks beyond that core cast of characters, it's
a whole world and there are many other
people-possibilities in it, yes, hence Penric &
Desdemona, or Ingrey and Ijada for that matter. If you
haven't found HH and P&D yet, the question
is easier to answer -- I can just point.
In any case, I'm glad the Chalion duo has held up for
you after all these years! ...Decades now, oof.
Lois McMaster
BujoldPen's times in Lodi,
Martensbridge, and his shaman-student year in Easthome
are all still on the table, but in addition to needing
the right idea, it needs to be one that fits in without
throwing off later-set stories written earlier. This is
tricky, like swapping out one card in the second layer
of a six-layer house of cards.
MargaretActually I
gather that "Mother's Midsummer" (when the
Bastard's day is celebrated in Lodi) really is
the middle of the summer, i.e. halfway between
suActually I gather that
"Mother's Midsummer" (when the Bastard's day is
celebrated in Lodi) really is the middle of the
summer, i.e. halfway between summer solstice and
autumnal equinox. So it would be more like early
August....more Oct 20,
2022 07:50AM
Jonathan
PalfreyOK,
Margaret, so in that case he arrived in Lodi in
early April. If Lodi has a similar climate to
Venice in our world, the average daily high in
earlyOK, Margaret, so in that case he
arrived in Lodi in early April. If Lodi has a
similar climate to Venice in our world, the
average daily high in early April should be about
15°C (59°F)....more Oct 20,
2022 08:14AM
Lois McMaster
BujoldThe
earthworms, perhaps. Although given the worms' imminent
fate of being stabbed, drowned, and eaten by fish, that
may be a distinction without a difference.
But, Science! Don't just speculate or assert, test!
Kate
DavenportAlso,
exploding the earthworms wasn't his intent, it
was the unexpected result of an experiment. The
result of the experiment could just as easily
havAlso, exploding the
earthworms wasn't his intent, it was the
unexpected result of an experiment. The result of
the experiment could just as easily have been
that the "soul" if the sacrificed earthworm just
wouldn't stick to the next one....more Oct 15,
2022 11:34AM ·
flag
JerriPenric's
experimental/scientific nature is consistently
shown. There are a number of different
experiments on mice, especially the induced
narcolepsy.Penric's experimental/scientific
nature is consistently shown. There are a number
of different experiments on mice, especially the
induced narcolepsy. But that doctor in Physicians
of Vilnoc who let the ill rat bite him surpassed
Penric's experimental nature, since the bite by
the "blue witch" fly wasn't Pen's idea....more Oct 18,
2022 05:22AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldIt's hard for very short works to
be profitably marketed on paper. People expect a
certain heft for the price they must pay. Short story
collections and anthologies, which are the only way to
make up market weight, are notoriously poor sellers in
paper compared to novels. (Novella collections aren't
much better.) So yeah, I don't know about popular, but
ala carte short stories are much more possible
to sell electronically than on paper.
(A collection, in this context, is a book of stories by
one writer; an anthology is a book of stories by many
writers.)
Talli
RuksasAnd
sometimes an author is compelled to create a
rather awkward collection. (Yes, I just
relistened to Borders of Infinity for the
umpteenth time). MoAnd sometimes an author is
compelled to create a rather awkward collection.
(Yes, I just relistened to Borders of Infinity
for the umpteenth time). Mostly sticking to e and
audio gives me much more flexibility....more Nov 16,
2022 01:28PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldLess security than temporary
privacy, in Pen's case, in a moment when he had no
sealing wax. Nope, I had not heard of letter locking
before.
Lois McMaster
BujoldUncle Hugo's Science Fiction
Bookstore is getting their copies from me, till my very
limited supply runs out. So if you want the resale
price to go in part to the author, that's the place to
go. And Hugo's takes care of the sales tax and
shipping, bless them.
If whippets are as hyperactive as I think, your dog may
be very well named!
Lois McMaster
BujoldMostly I'd been just trying to
select the Barrayaran ethnic names in ways that
reflected or hinted at the varied regional origins of
the Firsters, but I did have a quite wonderful trip to
Finland for a convention some years back.
(This name selection process has been much aided by the
arrival of the internet, so I'm not limited anymore to
ideas gleaned from my local phone book.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
suspect you underestimate how much planetary (or
national) governments cost, and how many projects
compete for funding. $406 billion for the US Federal
alone for one year, a quick google suggests, not
counting the states, or the rest of the planet. And we
don't even have a space navy...
As some legislator once quipped, "A million here, a
million there, and pretty soon you're talking about
real money!"
Lois McMaster
BujoldWith 9 to choose from, I'd
imagine there'd be a wide range of relationships
possible. A more cousinly relationship would be likely
between Cordelia and Jole's kids and Miles's. They'd
likely see each other once, maybe twice a year,
depending on travels; about what you'd get between
cousins living in different distant states. But Miles
would be functionally more uncle than brother.
(Cordelia's girls are full sisters to Miles, Jole's
boys are half-brothers and some mitochondrial change.
They are all aunts and uncles to Miles's kids, all
younger than their nieces and nephews, doubtless the
source of many family jokes.)
JerriWell
considering the way Miles bonded with Mark on
their first meeting, I would expect Miles to want
a positive relationship with any relations.
It woWell considering the way Miles
bonded with Mark on their first meeting, I would
expect Miles to want a positive relationship with
any relations.
It would be fun to see Ivan's children interact
with Cordelia's new brood, they could well be
much of an age....more Dec 11,
2022 03:16PM ·
flag
Kate
DavenportThanks
for the correction I wasn't thinking. I suppose
it would depend on Miles (who has proven himself
to be a bad communicator) or possibly
EkaterinThanks for the correction I wasn't
thinking. I suppose it would depend on Miles (who
has proven himself to be a bad communicator) or
possibly Ekaterin. I am close with my cousins
even though we grew up on opposite sides of the
country, but my mother and her sisters were
prolific letter writers. When they discovered
conference calls, they talked once a week, and we
all got together every five years. Still do even
though our parents are gone. But you are right.
It isn't really the same as being in each other's
lives....more Dec 11,
2022 10:32PM ·
flag
DianaCan we
pretty please get an Aurelia book? I am dying to
know what mischief she is getting
into.... Dec 19,
2022 10:53AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldOnly in the broadest sense of "a
Barrayaran Regency/Shakespearean romantic comedy".
Komarr was the romantic drama half, and it would
have been a tonal mismatch to try to jam both parts
together into one book.
Parts that came up only well after I started writing
the first draft were Mark's butter bug plot, recycled
from an abandoned short story idea, and Ivan's plot
with Donna/Dono. Ivan's subplot gave me fits, as I
generated and slew several bad ideas, till Dono arrived
and took over, in all her/his thematic perfection.
Viewpoint, and limiting it, mattered hugely in
structuring and centering the story. At one point I had
an early scene from Pym's point of view, which would
have pulled the tale off-course into a study of armsmen
in the capital, which, however intrinsically
interesting, was not what turned out to be thematically
on-point. Also I dimly recall (it's been over 20 years,
yowza) a scene either written or outlined from Gregor's
point of view, which would have had a similar problem.
His romance was told in Memory and did not need
revisited.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
have no idea. He likely went on to an unexceptionable
career as a Barrayaran officer, mustering out at either
10 or 20 years depending on his career prospects. But,
really, a blank, as characters drawn from central
casting for bit parts so often are.
greenladyThere are
a few fanworks featuring Kostolitz, include one
where he's invited to Miles's wedding, if readers
are curious about how some fans filled inThere are a few fanworks featuring
Kostolitz, include one where he's invited to
Miles's wedding, if readers are curious about how
some fans filled in the blanks. See "to ask about
loyalty" by tasara_bokka on
archiveofourown...more Dec 26,
2022 05:23AM
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
could swear I answered this this morning, but
apparently I sent it into oblivion. Anyway, winter
solstice would be the Father's Day proper; "Father's
Midwinter" would be halfway through the quarter, or
about Groundhog Day. (Hence the point of the old joke,
which I never got as a kid, that if the groundhog sees
its shadow there will be six more weeks of winter.)
You all can do your own arithmetic for the other
god-mids, although there is no certainty that the year
or even the day is the same length on the Five Gods
world as our own. (Solstices and equinoxes would still
divide it up evenly.)
I didn't much address holidays in the world of The
Sharing Knife, but one may assume solstices, equinoxes,
harvest festivals, and local memorials would be
observed variously.
Lois BujoldNo, there
is a joke about six weeks being the duration of
half-a-quarter. The whole of the joke went, If
the groundhog sees its shadow, there will
beNo, there is a joke about
six weeks being the duration of half-a-quarter.
The whole of the joke went, If the groundhog sees
its shadow, there will be six more weeks of
winter, but if it does not, winter will hang on
for a month and a half. (Or possibly the other
way around; I disremember.)
It's something I wonder about, when I'm in a
bio-evolutionary mood -- why do people's brains even
do fiction? Storytelling is something done in
every culture, and generally anything so universal has
to have a biological root. Story-making certainly ties
in with language -- even the most utilitarian uses of
speech, like describing where that good berry patch or
fresh carcass may be found, involve using sounds to
make pictures appear in other people's brains/minds.
From there to mistakes, making pictures that aren't
true, to lies to stories is no step at all; they all
use the same program. (Teaching, too.) I suspect
empathy, mirroring as recent psychology dubs it, came
before speech, but speech taps into that as well.
Emotional responses to fiction may be induced by
immersion, giving the reader as close to the
characters' experiences as possible, teaching as it
goes. They may also, much more succinctly, be induced
by evocation, drawing up (presumably) shared
experiences from the readers' minds, which is very
powerful when it works but can fall flat if the reader
doesn't have any analogue to the experience, or
knowledge of the reference. (The bifurcation of
responses to the end of Cryoburn, to judge from
some readerly discussion, sometimes seems to depend on
what real-life bereavements the reader has suffered, in
a sort of resonance. Or not, as the case may be.)
"I loved that character" is often assumed, when it
happens across gender boundaries, to be the reader
positing the character as an imaginary heartthrob, but
I think it is way more often identification, strong
empathy. (Not that it can't be some of both.) It's
certainly identification for me, sometimes in the most
oblique ways, when I attach to a fictional character.
(Confusing the two forms of attachment has led to some
rather mis-aimed readers recs, both to me and by
me.)
Any of the above paragraphs could be a 10k-word essay,
but there isn't enough space. Or tea. Consider them the
boiled-down takeaway, tl;dnr without the r.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
don't voluntarily do videos, and I can get about all
the fan interaction I can handle right here. So you
likely need to canvass younger or more active
writers.
Lois McMaster
BujoldWow, that's a hard question to
answer. There have been many many books I've liked over
the years, fewer I've liked over decades, fewer still
that I'd want to reread right now, some authors that
are lingering faves but have a lot of books or a tight
series -- Pratchett, Heyer, Turner, Tolkien. But you
need a book, not a bookcase. I'll assume you've read
The Lord of the Rings, so let's go with, hm,
Georgette Heyer's Cotillion. There are
half-a-dozen titles of hers that are first tier that I
could have offered instead.
Otherwise, Megan Whalen Turner's fantasy The
Thief, but N.B., that's the first book of a 6-book
series, and it takes the first three for the full
reward to really slot in. (Not a hardship.)
Norine
LukerI actually
can't think of a more satisfying ending in the
(literally) thousands of books I have read than
the ending of Cotillion. Starting from the
cI actually can't think of a
more satisfying ending in the (literally)
thousands of books I have read than the ending of
Cotillion. Starting from the comings and goings
at Cousin Hugh's....more Jan 09,
2023 05:56AM ·
flag
Michelle
KotheMy
absolute favourite of all Heyer's books. It's
just .... completeMy absolute favourite of all
Heyer's books. It's just .... complete...more Mar 28,
2023 04:20AM ·
flag
Adger
WilliamsJust goes
to show that "any sufficiently complex text can
mean anything with good exegesis"Just goes to show that "any
sufficiently complex text can mean anything with
good exegesis"...more Jan 14,
2023 06:17AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWell, I have, or had, a broad
scheme of things in mind at one point, lacking detail
and most critically, characters; though a bounded or
restricted range of possibilities is still many many.
But mostly, it would be a downer. I neither read nor
write dystopias or disaster epics. And writing smaller
scale cozy stories pre-disaster in a world all the
readers know is doomed would feel weird.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThank you for the kind words, and
I'm deeply glad my books are serving you in your need.
That's a function of fiction I think gets overlooked in
so-called "critical" thinking, along with other
emotional impacts and effects on readers generally.
(Crit tends to valorize the political over the
personal, and my dim opinion on that would take a whole
essay.)
Lois McMaster
BujoldA
throwaway line. Bel likely acquired it in some
spaceport shop on a whim. Hamsters are not long-lived
creatures -- or at least, my daughter's never were --
so I imagine it was a temporary indulgence.
Lois McMaster
BujoldDon't know PET -- thanks for the
heads-up -- but this does suggest where Aldous Huxley
got the idea for his 1932 SF novel Brave New
World. Which is the earliest place I, and I suspect
a lot of other SF writers, got the idea for what is now
a fairly standard genre trope for anyone who thinks
about future biology in any depth.
My uterine replicators are actually a bit of a
conscious argument with Huxley -- it's been decades
since I read his book, but my young Midwestern mind was
left with the impression that he used the technology as
an exploration of specifically British class tensions,
alien to me, but, fair, that sort of political allegory
is what a lot of SF does. But I thought, yeah, but what
would real people do, for which my first and
ongoing answer was "not just one thing, but all
of the things". So I've tried to include as many
different uses and social consequences as I could think
of.
VinceLois,
100%. The presenters discuss the relationship
between JBS Haldane & Huxley, and address some of
the issues you took away from Huxley's text.
SpeLois, 100%. The presenters
discuss the relationship between JBS Haldane &
Huxley, and address some of the issues you took
away from Huxley's text.
Speaking of exploring implications, it was your
thoughtful exploration of the implications of
cryogenic stasis in Cryoburn (wealth, social
standing, political influence come to mind) that
started me on the journey from "never heard of
her" to "LMB is my favorite living
author."...more Feb 11,
2023 10:42AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldEither or both would be fine --
one does not preclude the other if one's media
contracts are written right. Though I would especially
like to see Falling Free as an animation. And I
always thought The Spirit Ring would be great
done by some spiritual heir of Ray Harryhausen, for its
climax sequence. Either could be feature-length --
Miles would really need to be a series or mini-series,
whether live or animated.
Media adaptations are a buyers' market, though, so it's
not up to me. Somebody with a hundred million dollars
would have to decide it would not lose money for them,
and such persons are very rare. (Possibly a lower
budget and bar for animation, but still the same
problem.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Two reasons, well, three, one extrinsic and two
intrinsic. Extrinsically, the age gap gives a proxy
visceral response to some readers parallel to the
in-story visceral response of characters to the
bloodline gap. Modern readers, well, any that are
likely to pick up my books, would presumably scorn a
negative response to the latter; quite a few of them
recoil from the former. Alas, absolutely no one other
than myself has ever made this mirroring cultural
compare-and-contrast connection, one of the many
sub-components of the long journey-of-understanding the
books try to give to both characters and readers.
Intrinsically, this is what the characters were when
they walked into my head. I don't argue with that
gift.
But more specifically, Dag and Fawn stitch together
what were at the time the two emotional ends of my own
generational life experiences. I was 55 when I started
writing the tetralogy, as post-adult as I'd ever been,
and I most certainly remembered being a late-teen
girl-woman, desperate to start my adult life. (Which
makes Dag, not Fawn, my Mary Sue, but a lot of people
don't seem to realize that strong identification with
characters, for media creators and consumers, crosses
genders. Which is a whole 'nother essay.)
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[A friend recommended your books and I've
been reading them this winter? The audio versions kept me
company while I've walked my dogs and cleared a brush
path between winter-bare trees here in the Hudson
valley.
Thank you specifically for writing characters whose
parentage is uncertain, and skillfully creating a
universe that contains bastards and the folks that create
them. It heals my heart, as a shadow kid. (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
You are entirely welcome. That wasn't a reader-response
I actually anticipated, no more than I anticipated the
first responses to Miles or the quaddies or Ethan from
readers who had real-life reasons to feel special
identification or recognition with them when, to me,
the characters simply were who they were. I continue to
learn from readers.
Lois McMaster
BujoldNope. Bothari's unknown father
was a Random Customer, probably without gene cleaning
so probably Barrayaran not galactic, not that there
were many galactics around during that period. Well,
apart from the Cetagandans, who would have been
gene-cleaned. (See: Rene Vorbretten.) Outside
possibility, dad was a passing spacer crewman with
considerable radiation or other accumulated gonad
damage, though.
If Barrayaran, caste or grand-caste of dad also
unknown. (Recalling Cordelia and Piotr's breakfast
conversation on the subject, Vor ancestry of some sort
is possible, sure, somewhere up the tree.) Some of
Bothari's problems also may have been what is now being
called epigenetic, exposure to toxins in the womb due
to things his dodgy mother was ingesting; some was
certainly due to the toxic social environment in which
he grew up.
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I read 'Shards of Honor' (rapidly
followed by the rest of the Vorkosigan series) last year
and I adore it. Chapter 14, where Cordelia comes upon
Aral in a state of drunken hopelessness, reminded me of a
similar scene in a very different but also beloved novel,
Georgette Heyer's Venetia. Is there any chance the wicked
Lord Damerel had an unconscious influence? (hide
spoiler)]
For added bonus points, and a longer fic, imagine the
roster of the rest of the characters in the role, for
compare and contrast. I mean... Cordelia. Gregor. Aral.
Ivan. Illyan. Alys... Yeah, it could be worse. Older
Ivan might not be so bad, though.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
A lot of people choose not to read my books, for a lot
of reasons. Whether, when, or how any given reader may
come to find or to process one's works is beyond the
writer's control, and always will be. Still moreso
after the writer dies. I mean, really, could any of the
many older writers I read have even begun to
imagine me, or where their words would fall, and how?
The 11th C. Byzantine biographer, for example. Through
his book, I could imagine him; the reverse is very much
not true.
The one thing I can do that I can control is to
try to make each book work as a stand-alone, as well as
being part of a larger series structure. I do the best
I can, where I am, with what I have, each year. After
that, my words are necessarily cast loose on their own,
sink or swim.
That said, I am very pleased when my books do work well
for someone, as evidently in your case.
ReginaMirror
Dance was the first book I read in the series,
because the blurb sounded intriguing. After that,
I was hooked. I don't think I read all the
booMirror Dance was the first
book I read in the series, because the blurb
sounded intriguing. After that, I was hooked. I
don't think I read all the books in order,
either. Still worked for me. :)...more Mar 09,
2023 02:37PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Oh, sure! Also, the enthusiasm of this reviewer is
pretty charming.
But the thing I still marvel at the most is how books
that were written with the expectation that they would
have a bookstore shelf life of maybe two years are
still gaining brand-new readers decades later -- some
of whom, alarmingly to me, weren't even born at the
time of the works' first publication. To me, that is
really beating the odds, especially in a genre that
risks becoming dated very rapidly.
Brzk... just
commenting on the previous comment: "Thanks for
the memories" is fantastic. Yes. Many people have
internalized your works.... just commenting on the
previous comment: "Thanks for the memories" is
fantastic. Yes. Many people have internalized
your works....more Mar 20,
2023 07:25AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyI was born
in 1954, but became a fan only on discovering
Penric in 2019. I also like the other Five Gods
novels and some of the Vorkosigan saga, but
yI was born in 1954, but
became a fan only on discovering Penric in 2019.
I also like the other Five Gods novels and some
of the Vorkosigan saga, but your early stories,
although well written, tend not to be quite my
kind of thing (except Ethan of Athos, which I do
like)....more Sep 23,
2023 11:47PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Answer unknown. Or at least, not made up by me. What
career one wants at age 9 can change quite a lot
between then and age 20. Or age 30, for that matter.
Consider the gap between "wants to ride horses" and
"writes science fiction", for a near example.
VivaineSomewhere
in "Komarr" after Nikki's treatment Miles asks
Ekaterine "Is it well? [with Nikki's treatment]?
She explains that Nikki had a complete and
cSomewhere in "Komarr" after
Nikki's treatment Miles asks Ekaterine "Is it
well? [with Nikki's treatment]? She explains that
Nikki had a complete and clean uptake of the
retrogenes "as if he'd never had it" but, I
think, his children would still need to be gene
cleaned. As L said, it's not a given that he will
still want to be a pilot, but the dystrophy is no
longer an issue....more Apr 12,
2023 07:29PM
MarieIf I
remember correctly, the issue was that it would
prevent him from going into the service - NOT
from becoming a civilian pilot. I'll have to
rereadIf I remember correctly, the issue
was that it would prevent him from going into the
service - NOT from becoming a civilian pilot.
I'll have to reread the book (again, LOL) to be
sure, but I could swear Miles knew of the
Vorzohn's before he had a conversation with Nikki
urging him to consider that option....more Jan 24,
2024 03:42PM
Lois McMaster
BujoldYep, if we're both remembering
the name right. Much about that period of Wealdean and
Darthacan fictional history jumps off from Charlemagne
versus the Saxons. (Itself an extension of the earlier
conflict between Romans and Teutons.)
Lois BujoldSpeed of my
replies is pretty random, and can range from
minutes to days depending on when I check in at
my computer. You chanced to catch the wave,
lSpeed of my replies is
pretty random, and can range from minutes to days
depending on when I check in at my computer. You
chanced to catch the wave, likely.
Sabriam
BellFeeling
Lucky and grateful.
Ps. I am re-reading the Penric tales now. I
re-read the world of the Five gods trilogy
earlier this month, and re-read theFeeling Lucky and grateful.
Ps. I am re-reading the Penric tales now. I
re-read the world of the Five gods trilogy
earlier this month, and re-read the Sharing knife
series a few months before hand. When I’m done
with Penric, I’ll be ready for Miles again. I
began reading for enjoyment only two years ago.
Your writing keeps me very entertained and
happy....more Mar 28,
2023 08:49PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The reader can suit themselves, but I imagine Betan
accents as rather American Midwestern, and Barrayaran
as a sort of British actor doing stage Russian.
More realistically, one may imagine them as future
English translated into current English, the way we
routinely treat languages in fantasy worlds.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I will be at Minicon next week, which is right down the
road from me, as a local writer guest. I've retired
from the con circuit, but this was a special exception
for a friend, with no travel. Otherwise not.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Oh yes. Copies of my Croatian editions sit on my
foreign-rights bookcase. (Bookcases. 4 so far. I try to
keep one copy of every title in every printing in every
language, when the foreign publishers send them, which
they don't always.)
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Apologies if this is a duplicate, but I
got some error before and don’t think it went through.
Since ba have been in the middle of at least two almost
wars, do Cetagandans have a ba problem? Since Haut
children are raised in creches, do they treat ba more
like children than they intend? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldIt
will vary with the ba, but a tendency to treat them
like what used to be called "a red-headed stepchild"
rotating with "highly prized science project" is
probably baked in. Which can't be a good combo,
psychologically.
Lois McMaster
Bujold Nirvana in Fire is on my to-be-watched list --
it will be a considerable time investment. I do have it
to hand on viki.com which I'd signed up just to watch
the Nie brothers spin-off Fatal Journey, worth
it, but viki comes with a million hours of other stuff,
eep. My media-watching buddy and I just finished up
Word of Honor, which was, hm. Good tour of the
genre, about which I know little yet, but none of the
characters grabbed me the way The Untamed
characters did.
If you (collective you) have any other Asian media recs
from viki or Netflix, trot 'em out in the comments. I
am, this first pass, mainly interested in fantasy. Do
not want crime or horror or grim dystopias or most
mainstream, although Extraordinary Attorney Woo
turned out to be a winner. (Also on Netflix.) Do not
want wall-to-wall angst. I don't need broad comedy, but
some sense of humor somewhere in the script is a
plus.
Also have watched Hotel Del Luna, Korean
mostly-modern fantasy, quite wonderful, recommended.
3-D animation Green Snake also turned out
worthwhile, despite its dystopic beginning, which was
eventually explained satisfactorily. Once Upon a
Time on Lingjian Mountain was very silly, but a
good tutorial in xianxia genre tropes and cliches.
(Our The Untamed panel was a bit frustrating --
it was billed as a geek-out, but since half the
audience hadn't seen the show, it mainly ended up a
pitch session. Trying to describe the show without
spoilers and still sound coherent is probably not
possible.)
Yeah, the female lead in Fairy & Devil is that
annoying perky type so common in anime, but she
does have the excuse of being literally a
pott@ Maya --
Yeah, the female lead in Fairy & Devil is that
annoying perky type so common in anime, but she
does have the excuse of being literally a
potted plant, so I'm willing to go with it.
Danna
WilsonI just
finished "Alchemy of Souls" on Netflix. It is
quite a time investment but quite good with a
happy ending. "Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth'
isI just finished "Alchemy of
Souls" on Netflix. It is quite a time investment
but quite good with a happy ending. "Hwarang: The
Poet Warrior Youth' is from 2018 and might be
hard to find. It is a fun watch with very
attractive young men:) "Be True to Your Name" on
Netflix is also good, and so different from
America TV. I also loved Attorney Woo....more Apr 29,
2023 02:32PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
You're most welcome, and yes, I'm glad that ending
worked for you as intended. The solution to a different
meaning of the word "mystery" than some readers expect,
I suppose.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Pen had met the archdivine of Adria at a Temple
conclave in Carpagamo a few years back that he'd
attended in his own princess-archdivine's train. I've
always felt that event and setting ought to have a
story-worthy plot attached, but I've never been able to
come up with one. So a combination of reasonable
proximity, some acquaintance, and, as many people
anxiously circulating resumes find the clincher, an
actual offer.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Heh. Probably not. It lives in the same throwaway-line
box as the politician, the lighthouse, and the trained
cormorant. (A famous throwaway line from Sherlock
Holmes, never followed up on... by its original
author.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Alas, no motivation at present. I've been dividing my
attention this past year between home maintenance and
renovation, Asian media, and far too much Spider
Solitaire, which crept back onto my tablet after I'd
bravely booted it off. Weirdly soothing, but very much
what my mother would have dubbed "a sinful waste of
time." The home maintenance projects, at least, must
come to an end soon.
Lois McMaster
BujoldThat will depend on the
individual library; whether they have purchased my
titles for their collection, and/or have not, what is
that weasel-word, "de-accessioned" them.
Most of my books are still available on paper in one
form or another, and Blackstone keeps all my titles
available as downloadable audiobooks. Anyone who wants
to see a particular title in their local collection
needs to ask their local library.
Oh, I should add, I have several e-titles available to
libraries through OverDrive.
...Not just in this context, I reflect that there is an
interesting sort of readerly mania, or perhaps
narrative tension, that if a secret is shown a story,
it must be Outed before the end. I wonder why that is.
Conditioning by the mystery genre...?
Lois McMaster
Bujold
There are two kinds of block for me. One I might dub a
"local block", where I am stuck for a time on what turn
the next bit of a work in progress should take, because
I haven't yet thought of a good enough one, or I've
thought of a bad one and my characters go on sit-down
strike till they're offered better wages. It may last
for weeks, but by now I recognize it as part of my
normal process. It was only a problem back when I had
deadline pressures, though a story does have its own
internal narrative drive as well -- "the work demands
its own completion" is the way I've phrased it.
The other is more internal, or perhaps global, what a
friend of mine dubs "a general disinclination to
write." I may be in one of those at the moment, though
it's kind of hard to distinguish from "being retired".
Or maybe just being tired. It would go away on its own
if I had an idea that gripped me harder than whatever
life distractions I have, I suspect.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I haven't heard from Easton Press in years and years,
so probably not.
I'm not actually sure what speculative fiction Easton
is publishing these days, but I suspect it would run to
hot new frontlist bestsellers, not quiet evergreens
like my current stuff.
("Evergreens'", in this context, is a publishing
term-of-art for books that aren't or never were
bestsellers, but continue to sell in modest numbers for
year after year into multiple decades. The Warrior's
Apprentice would be a good example -- never a best
seller, never won an award, never out of print for,
now, 37 years. The Tortoise can definitely win in the
word-of-mouth race.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
In the rough & ready sort of way I'm taking inspiration
from Midwestern American rather than the bog-standard
European models for fantasy worlds, yep, Pittsburgh.
(My parents' hometown, btw.)
Barr and Remo can probably learn how to do unbeguiling
much as they learn other groundwork, as their skills
and strength grow. Some Lakewalkers will doubtless be
better or worse at it than others, through innate
capacity or personal psychology.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not impossible. When last seen Pen had not yet gotten
around to his Ibran translation, but there's plenty of
time (and time for downstream translators) yet. Not to
mention seminary libraries would likely have books in
neighboring languages, as academic libraries tend to
do.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Good questions. Purify seawater, sure; it just needs
evaporated and condensed, tho' if one is in/by the sea,
the air should be damp enough to skip step one. Ice
wine, yes. Break down water molecules, not sure.
Heating/cooling/cooking, maybe on a very small scale.
(Mustn't overheat the sorcerer!) He would of course
have to deal with the waste heat/waste chaos.
If science advances in this world, a very open
question, I'm sure Pen would follow along and try to
work out even more clever sorcery as insights
emerge.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Your vision maps more closely to mine. Not Victorian,
certainly. Late Edwardian can be rather nice, but later
still is probably better.
Nevertheless, fanac is for the fans; folks can envision
whatever best pleases them, mostly. (I have one friend
who insists she will always see Ivan as blond. Um.)
I am not a fashion designer, though I fake being one in
prose. (I mostly care about colors.) Anyone with a
better eye/hand is welcome to have a go. Have fun!
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Dono, like every other count, will always have
problems. I suspect By's roles will just be one more in
the array. Meanwhile, though, By has been shipped off
out of sight and out of mind, which should cool
interest as new and better high Vor scandals come up to
capture the public eye.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Dag lets his camp name go, or maybe adopts Clearcreek.
Arkady and Sumac likely keep Hickory Lake, as they
still go there part time, and are too valuable to
spurn.
No idea on the camp credit. Dag might recover some;
some he might be able to generationally transfer to
Sumac and her sibs. I can see Sumac passing back some
under the table, or maybe not so under, to Dag as a
face-saving way to make restitution without the camp
council ever having to admit wrongdoing.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It's been a while... A lot of things about Dag & Fawn
arrived together -- both of their starting-points at
first meeting (Dag with a longer, but not more
important, backstory than Fawn), their ages and
heights, the uneven command of magic but equal smarts
(actually, Fawn has the edge there, camouflaged by her
lack of experience) the bare basics but not yet all the
details of their respective cultures and families and
world history, much of which was developed as the story
went along.
Having set up their bare-bones backstories, I basically
set the pair in motion in the opening scenes and let
them show me their tale as they moved through it,
adding more characters and material as needs arose. We
were frequently all of us surprised.
The first two volumes were initially a single bigger
one, split on publication, but ending on a down-ish if
promising note. There was plainly more tale to be told
and more world to be explored as both characters broke
free from the constraints of family and clan and found
new room to grow; the second pair of volumes became the
"there and back again" of all that.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I pulled it out of the air, having seen it
I-don't-remember where (this would have been in 1983),
for something sounding vaguely Spanish-y
not-Anglo-Saxon. Trying to indicate, despite the books
being written in then-20th. C. English, that all the
other major languages and peoples were still Out
There.
I don't care to salt my prose with SF or fantasy
neologisms to the point of making it indigestible, so
the reader may take this thousand-years-from-now
English, which ought to be profoundly altered by then,
as being translated back for them by the narrative,
just like the Penric tales where the people are all
speaking Wealdean or Cedonian.
Jonathan
PalfreyThe
best-known user of that name on the Web seems to
be Pablo Escobar (1949–1993), Colombian drug lord
who became the wealthiest criminal ever but
wasThe best-known user of that
name on the Web seems to be Pablo Escobar
(1949–1993), Colombian drug lord who became the
wealthiest criminal ever but was shot by police
the day after his 44th birthday. He was active
from the early 1970s and founded the Medellín
Cartel in 1976....more Jun 04,
2023 11:07AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, there's all that, plus the genre expectation for
each story being more "important" than all the prior,
as well as "different", which is another moving target.
Easy enough when one is writing the second story of
two; harder when it's the umpteenth of whatever it is
by now.
(Also, much of that description of the annoyances of
aging now applies to me, except, thankfully, seizure
disorder.)
Should I generate a story idea fresh enough to get me
excited, there is no reason I can't write, but that
internal threshold has become rather high. Plus I'm
drowning in new media distractions, previously
unavailable or nonexistent (streaming!) which is
something like going out for a dinner someone else has
cooked. Reduces motivation; I don't have to run an
internal television just to be
fed/entertained.
I have no idea when, or if, there will be anything
more, or what it would look like should it get here. I
can say there is nothing in progress or in the pipeline
right at the moment (July 2023.)
I am, actually, not the same writer or person who wrote
those books back in the 80s and 90s; they say that in
20 years, even your bones replace themselves. So
writing "more of the same" would be as much of a
stretch as trying to write a pastiche of another
writer. (Or, more weirdly, trying to write my own
fanfiction. Though that notion may be too
self-limiting.) Though I'm immensely thankful those
books have lasted till now, and are still finding new
readers.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, Heyer has been a huge influence on authors in
several genres, Romance obviously, but also science
fiction, fantasy, and mystery. For an author whose work
has never been out of print for over a century (her
first book was published in 1917, I believe) she is
remarkably overlooked by the sort of people who make up
those Important Books of the 20th Century lists.
Reasons why left as an exercise for the student.
The two not necessarily mutually exclusive ideas I've
seen for why a book/writer is considered great are, a)
it is beloved by many people over generational time, or
b) it changes how books that come after it are written.
Hearts and minds, as it were. Heyer certainly hits both
metrics.
I'm afraid I don't know what "Moravian influence" might
be. ??
Thanks for getting the difference between my
(presently) fictional bioengineered herms, and natural
intersex, tho' you would seem to be in a good position
to appreciate the nuance. A lot of my future biotech
echoes concerns of today, part of why readers find it
interesting, but the science does make a difference.
Though at the rate biology is progressing, I don't
think we'll have to wait 1000 years for some of my SF
speculation to become real. (Let's hope it's the nicer
parts, and not the scarier ones!)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't see how to answer this private question
privately -- if anyone has tips for sending/originating
GR messages (as contrasted with replying to them, which
is what I mostly do) shout out.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
You are most welcome, and oh boy howdy, that sounds
like a tough duty. Best of luck to you, and thank you
for your civic service, which is one most people don't
think about till it taps them on the shoulder.
Susan PriceI
agree with Lois that you deserve respect for
serving on such a demanding jury -- and with you
that Lois writes books that are superb at getting
oneI agree with Lois that you
deserve respect for serving on such a demanding
jury -- and with you that Lois writes books that
are superb at getting one thru trying
times....more Sep 23,
2024 04:27AM
I don't have anything else planned for the Vorkosigan
series at this time. If you haven't found them yet, I
have two (or three) fantasy series and one fantasy
stand-alone still out there to explore: The Sharing
Knife (4 books and 1 novella), The World of the
Five Gods (3 novels, plus the Penric & Desdemona
sub-series of 10 novellas and 1 novel) and the
singleton The Spirit Ring.
I was, I think, too new in the marketplace at time time
(1986) for the book to have attracted notice from
enough readers for an award. The Hugo award for The
Vor Game, a couple of years later when I'd gained
more visibility, was something in the nature of
compensation, I feel. And the Nebula for Falling
Free I attribute in part to its serialization in
Analog Magazine, which brought it before a lot
more reader-voters than might have encountered it
otherwise. Awards are very much an intersection of
skill, work, and luck -- the skill and work, which are
under a writer's control, are required to put one in
the pool that luck, which is not, may fall upon.
What's important, then and now, is that the book
is still finding readers, which I'd always felt was the
main utility of winning an award, one more bit of
advertising. If the work can find its readers without
same, that's just as good.
yang hwaI
find that this is how most awards work, from book
awards to stuff like the Oscars and the Emmys. If
someone is consistently good but somehow loses
oI find that this is how most
awards work, from book awards to stuff like the
Oscars and the Emmys. If someone is consistently
good but somehow loses out due to tough
competition in a particular year or their work
only gaining traction later, they just get
awarded for their newest thing as a proxy for all
the work they'd done so far....more Jul 16,
2023 10:51AM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Been rereading all the older miles
books, what do you think would have happened if hed gone
directly to ImpMil afyer being kicked out of impsec and
run back to the Dendari, how his life would have been?
would he have been depressed and missing his family or
would quinn and Taura been enough?
Also, i now want a Sphinx. Nefertiti saved them and
should have gone back with miles. (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
That alternate universe sounds like fanfic bait...
There are many different ways it could play out,
positive or negative.
I think Nefertiti would be happier with Jin, actually.
And vice versa. I do see the appeal of gene-engineered
pets, though.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not in Miles's universe -- it's the Bioengineering-R-Us
future. There will be some very alien intelligent
species in not many more centuries and millennia, but
they will all be descended from Earth humans.
For an earlier model of the idea, see Cordwainer
Smith's excellent Tales of the Instrumentality
series.
We've already seen Miles dealing with the
proto-versions of these -- quaddies, Betan herms, Guppy
the somewhat one-off merman, arguably the Cetagandans.
Heavy-worlders have been mentioned but not met. Miles's
century is as it were a snapshot out of the early part
of a much longer movie of radiating human
evolution.
Talli
RuksasI've been
unsuccessful in getting my sister to read your
books. In spite of (or maybe because of) the fact
that I've told her there are no aliens sheI've been unsuccessful in getting
my sister to read your books. In spite of (or
maybe because of) the fact that I've told her
there are no aliens she insists on calling the V
books "those ones about aliens"...more Aug 12,
2023 03:15PM
If a story idea occurs that's sufficiently compelling,
there's little to stop me. (Except a million hours of
media at my fingertips.) House stuff seems almost done,
until something else breaks. Though the Mark I brain
does seem to be running on a slower clock speed these
days, sigh.
Lois BujoldI
trademarked "The Vorkosigan Saga" at one point,
when licensing tabletop game rights to a company
that was going to do it themselves (uh, no) so
I'veI trademarked "The Vorkosigan
Saga" at one point, when licensing tabletop game
rights to a company that was going to do it
themselves (uh, no) so I've been down that road.
Trademarking my writing name had not occurred to
me, though I suppose it could be done.
I also once had a whole book stolen, cover and
all -- someone grepped "Penric's Demon" and stuck
it up on Amazon as a print-on-demand, before my
own licensed Subterranean and Baen paper
versions. When we discovered this and asked for
it to be taken down, it took a couple of months
of absurd back-and-forthing to prove to Amazon I
was me, though apparently the pirates never had
to do so. Whatever small amount of money the
pirates got away with, I made no attempt to
recover.
As e-piracy proves over and over, pirates are
hard to whack.
RuthA priest
from my church had a pirated version of one of
her books pushed as "Amazon's Choice". The
consequences for her were significant. Amazon's
ownA priest from my church had a
pirated version of one of her books pushed as
"Amazon's Choice". The consequences for her were
significant. Amazon's own algorithms are
complicit....more Aug 31,
2023 07:12AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
We have not licensed them to Overdrive. "Penric's
Demon" and a few other titles were an experiment in
that direction, undertaken with a lot of hassle --
Overdrive doesn't make it easy -- which fizzled out.
Rather disappointing.
Blackstone markets their audiobooks to libraries (and
everywhere else.) I have no idea how they make them
work -- I suspect they have a dedicated department to
deal with the details -- but I'm glad they apparently
succeed.
RobinOh, makes
sense. Hopefully overdrive will make it less
difficult sometime. I'm enjoying my 3rd
listen-through, anyways. :)Oh, makes sense. Hopefully
overdrive will make it less difficult sometime.
I'm enjoying my 3rd listen-through, anyways.
:)...more Aug 22,
2023 05:04PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
What drew me most to the Queen's Thief was (as usual)
the characters, Gen and Irene and their peculiar
romance of course, but also the rest of the cast. I
also enjoyed the worldbuilding. The gods weren't bad,
but the QT gods are much more, hm, Greek, local, and
humanoid, than the Five. But in both series, properly
rare and disturbing when they enter the mortal plane, a
logical commonality given their in-world realities.
RuthJonathan:
it really does depend on the breadth of one's
interests. Mine seemed to have broadened as I've
grown older, but growing older also means I
hJonathan: it really does
depend on the breadth of one's interests. Mine
seemed to have broadened as I've grown older, but
growing older also means I have fewer reading
days ahead of me. Maybe someday, when I retire
(still quite a few years away)......more Sep 07,
2023 06:14AM ·
flag
Steven
SarafianC. S.
Lewis, in his book "An Experiment in Criticism"
suggests rating readers and calling a book 'good'
only if it attracts and is loved by 'good
readC. S. Lewis, in his book "An
Experiment in Criticism" suggests rating readers
and calling a book 'good' only if it attracts and
is loved by 'good readers'. One mark of a 'good
reader' being that they love rereading books that
they love....more Oct 19,
2024 08:13PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not really a difference in kind, but a difference in
size. Rather like seeing sunlight through a pinhole in
tent versus a large window, or, in the best case, a
large doorway. Iroki (not Dubro, he was the sorcerer)
got, or more accurately was, a large window. Cazaril
was a doorway, eventually, though he had to grow into
it.
Most petty saints get a pinhole or maybe a thumb hole
at most. The aperture depends on the character of the
person, not of the gods who are everywhere and always
the same, and too vast for any one person's
perceptions, no matter how wide, to take in entire.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Thanks for the terminology clarification! Yeah,
real-world religions are more deeply weird than
anything a writer can make up.
As a general note for the future, such should go down
in the comments section of the post they are talking
about, because otherwise they will be bewilderingly
separated from their context.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
To reiterate, interesting, but should go in the
comments section of the Q&A post they are
discussing. Goodreads used to serve up Q&As in
completely random order ("relevant" and "popular" both
totally scramble chronological order.) It took a while
for GR even to offer the ability to choose order, but
I'm not sure where that button went. And there's no
search function beyond a general google search if one
can remember enough key phrases, which is like using a
sledgehammer for a gnat.
Lois BujoldFor an
example of my own rec, the "sort by" button
disappears when I'm in the answering pane, which
was why I didn't see it when I was typing this
outFor an example of my own
rec, the "sort by" button disappears when I'm in
the answering pane, which was why I didn't see it
when I was typing this out. Ha.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
At this time, I don't know. It has aged out of its
license period at Subterranean Press, so a reprint is
contractually possible. Because it's a shortish novel,
and "Knot of Shadows" is a shortish novella, I thought
the two would make a good compendium pairing, a 4th Pen
& Des omnibus volume, and we have indeed marketed them
that way for foreign rights under the title Penric's
Intrigues, not that foreign publishers don't change
the titles anyway. So far it's sold to Japan, where the
prior volumes have done OK. "Knot of Shadows" is not
out of its SubPress 1-year US license yet, though,
having only come out this past January. So, we'll all
have to wait and see.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
In the early 80s, when I first came up with Miles, I
wasn't thinking in those real-world terms at all. Well,
only insofar as one wants one's action hero to be
distinguishable from all the others on the market. In
particular, thwarted from direct physical/violent
solutions, I wanted him forced to use his brains.
(*)
Like other people, Miles began with his parents -- I
had the basic idea for him and his physical (if not
mental, though I suppose emotional) challenges during
the writing of Shards of Honor back in 1983; I'd
written the first draft of that up through the soltoxin
attack before I circled back and found the current
ending. The writing (and, eventually, publication) of
The Warrior's Apprentice came next, as I set out
to explore things I'd set up in the first book. It all
grew chapter by chapter in the writing, so, more
discovery than decision. (As a rule, my writing
explores people, not issues, though I grant from an
outside view issues do sometimes seem to come along for
the ride.)
* -- I've since wondered, watching all those 15-y-o
anime heroes begging their masters to make them
stronger, why not one ever begs their master to
make them smarter. It seems a much more urgent
need...
LynnThat's
certainly true, and with the distance of some
years it's PAINFULLY clear how completely that
describes people from about age 13 until...well,
uThat's certainly true, and
with the distance of some years it's PAINFULLY
clear how completely that describes people from
about age 13 until...well, usually at least 10
years later. Sometimes more....more Sep 03,
2023 03:49PM ·
flag
Laer
CarrollThe
former President is a perfect example of someone
who thinks he knows more than he does & thinks he
thinks better than he does. And was gifted by
hThe former President is a
perfect example of someone who thinks he knows
more than he does & thinks he thinks better than
he does. And was gifted by his father with so
much money as to cripple his ability to face the
consequences of his mistakes....more Sep 07,
2023 05:45AM ·
flag
What drives the differences in the cultural choices is
not ideology, but technology (and its partner
economics) which both creates and constrains the ambit
of the possible. For all cultures, not just fictional
ones.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, that would be up to Subterranean. While
HarperCollins still holds hardcover rights, a limited
print run of signed editions might be allowable under
present contracts -- a question for one's agent. But,
really, I don't see how SubPress could compete
economically with the used (and new, according to
Amazon) hardcovers still floating about the market,
some at quite low cost.
SusanThank you
Jonathan! I have a paper book, not an e-book, so
the location search will take a little longer. Or
maybe I'll just go ahead and read the whoThank you Jonathan! I have a paper
book, not an e-book, so the location search will
take a little longer. Or maybe I'll just go ahead
and read the whole book. Again....more Oct 08,
2023 04:16AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreySusan:
Well, I gave you the chapter. Anything more
precise wouldn’t do you any good, from Kindle to
paper book. Oct 08,
2023 06:01AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Wow, that's a blast from the past. The books on audio
cassette are long out of production, but I have a few
lurking in a box in a closet that are doing no one any
good. Contact me through Goodreads private messaging
for more information, if you are determined.
Otherwise, used book vendors such as Abebooks,
Half-Price Books, or Amazon might have a trail.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, I'm hanging on to the last Pratchett, though not
because I think it will make me happy, but because I
suspect it will make me sad.
At the moment, I'm mostly going on to the next whatever
because it has sustained my curiosity, at least for a
time. But otherwise it's been browsing the infinite
entertainment smorgasbord and mostly not finding the
next gripping thing. Temporarily amusing, yes, I have
found that.
The things I've most gotten into lately have all been
finished works. The Asian live-action fantasy TV shows
The Untamed and Hotel Del Luna (both on
Netflix) have been the biggest recent hits. Also
recently found (on Rakuten Viki) worth mention is the
3-D animation The Island of Siliang, unfinished
at present. Astounding production quality. I'd be
ecstatic to have any work of mine done so well in that
medium.
Lois BujoldHave read
some of the Laundry Files, enjoyed as far as I
got, though horror is not my usual reading bag.
They had just enough redeeming humor to get
pHave read some of the
Laundry Files, enjoyed as far as I got, though
horror is not my usual reading bag. They had just
enough redeeming humor to get past my
barriers.
It never went as far as a draft, just unsatisfactory
planning notes scrapped instantly when I had a much
better idea. I don't actually remember who the victim
was supposed to be, possibly Richars, but I do recall a
plan to plant him in the garden under/in where the
structural construction work was going on, under the
walkway. Sort of like those murder victims who end up
under a basement with new concrete floor poured over
them.
It would have given Ekaterin's new gift garden an
awfully weird vibe. Donna/Dono was a much better
way to thwart Richars' nefarious plans, and was actual
science fiction for a bonus win.
Not that by and Ivan, not to mention Dono, aren't all
perfectly capable of hiding a body at need, mind.
Jonathan
PalfreyHamlet:
“But if indeed you find him not within this
month, you shall nose him as you go up the stairs
into the lobby.” Nov 22,
2023 11:54PM ·
flag
Lois Bujold@
JP -- *snrch*. Steal from the best I say.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Thank you for the kind words! Yeah, there are reasons
Cordelia's tale bookends the series.
Which is about all I have to say, but others may want
to chime in at the comments.
It's interesting to look at the series as a whole in
light of the recently read The Heroine's Journey
by Gail Carringer, which I reviewed in my My Books
section here. Structurally speaking. Because the VK
Saga actually doesn't end in the series-expected hero's
War to End Wars, and that is very much on purpose.
Lois McMaster
BujoldYou're welcome! I haven't found
anything lately to top Siliang Island, (found on
the streaming site Rakuten Viki) though I keep
scrounging. Although there was a recent manga-faithful
remake of the story-essential Hazel arc of Saiyuki
Reload, now dubbed Saiyuki Reload Zeroin,
that was a wonderful correction to the incoherent mess
the earlier anime makers made of it, now with Ukoku
done right, and a DVD release I just found of
Saiyuki Reload Burial, mine now. Though
Saiyuki is perhaps an acquired taste. (And the
static 90s-crude polar opposite in animation style to
the elegant Siliang, so requires some
tolerance.)
Otherwise nothing too compelling, although the
animation of My Heroic Husband was fairly
entertaining. Haven't got far into the live-action
version yet. Also recent, Link Click started
interesting, got much too serial-killery for me by the
end of season 1, have not yet sampled season 2. When
all that fails, it's back to the bottomless bin of
Great Courses on Wondrium.com.
This would be a good place for commenters to share
media finds with each other.
SDAlways
looking for recs; this space of readers drawn to
your work cld shine. I was pushing the RW&RB
book much more than the movie btw. But even the
fAlways looking for recs;
this space of readers drawn to your work cld
shine. I was pushing the RW&RB book much more
than the movie btw. But even the flawed movie
leaves you smiling, at least if you've access to
your sentimental schmaltzy "all the feels" true
inner nature. Not at all similar but also a queer
romance: Call Me By Your Name was transcendently
beautiful, but I assume everyone's seen that.
What else in this multiverse of media, this
infinite library of entertainment we're building?
LitRPG? Pride & Prejudice variations? If it has
story, characters, wonder, momentum and heart:
I'm here for it. Ciao.....more Oct 12,
2023 08:10AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Alas, no one (so far) actually capable of doing so. It
takes, not a script writer or wannabe writer, but a
producer with, or with control of, more money than I've
ever seen in my life to make even the most modest
adaptation. These folks, very limited in number, are
understandably choosy about what they bet their bank
upon.
My literary agent has a media rights agent who handles
these things, findable through Spectrum or, I suppose,
if one is in the know about the media biz. (Which is
not me.) As they've not succeeded in licensing my work
in a quarter century (and they have tried!), I'm no
longer holding my breath. Though they have been
successful in not tying my work up with folks who can't
actually, in both senses, produce, so that's a
plus.
Lois McMaster
BujoldHi
Mary! Hope you are well! (Well, well-enough, at our
ages.)
I don't have one favorite Heyer, but I do have a top
tier. In no particular order, Cotillion, The Reluctant
Widow, The Toll Gate, The Unknown Ajax, The Convenient
Marriage, A Civil Contract, Sprig Muslin, The
Foundling, maybe The Black Sheep... which adds up to
about a third of her output.
Which, I note, trends away from her early Rake heroes
and onto the later more sensible dudes. Well, not so
sure about Freddy, but he's certainly not a rake. And
the hero of The Black Sheep reformed himself, sort of,
well before the heroine arrived.
Charlotte, not so much, but she is an early founding
mother so could not be left out of my dedication
list.
My two fictional worlds take their similarities from my
own ad hoc grounding in biology and medicine, I think.
Given human bodies, there are only so many things that
can be done with them unless one is going to unmoor
one's magic system entirely from any physical realism.
Which is a perfectly fine fantasy narrative choice,
just not the one I made for these two universes.
JerriAnother
parallel I have noticed between the Pen/Des books
and the Sharing Knife books is that the way
Inglis makes use of his blood in Penric and
theAnother parallel I have
noticed between the Pen/Des books and the Sharing
Knife books is that the way Inglis makes use of
his blood in Penric and the Shaman reminds me of
the way Fawn and Dag make use of her blood in
making their marriage cords, in both cases the
fact that the blood remains "alive" for a time
after leaving the body and still is unique to the
donor is important. And both Fawn and Inglis seem
to have developed their use of blood by
instinct....more Nov 03,
2023 05:48AM ·
flag
L.A. WillisSounds
lovely. Friends and media. I have a Facebook fan
page for you and so just want to know all 269
members wish you a very joyous
birthday. Nov 03,
2023 02:37AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
That choice is not up to me; your thanks are due to my
publishers.
Although I do need to thank the readers (such as
yourself) who keep buying enough of them to make them
profitable to keep in print. Print book economics are
pretty vicious.
Jonathan
PalfreyI don’t
have room for more paper books in any format.
Fortunately, I’ve coincidentally decided that I
prefer e-books anyway. Nov 04,
2023 03:36PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Mainly, because they are in two different countries.
Caz's peninsula had been well worked-over by Quadrene
conquerors bent on stamping out sorcery altogether, and
even the areas that have been subsequently reconquered
have not totally recovered that culture by Caz's time.
So the Ibran peninsula is behind. It will catch up with
its neighbors in another generation.
(As retcons go, pretty plausible, I think...)
And also because Penric is paying a lot more attention
to these matters than Caz, as it's his profession. It's
like the difference between a bridge builder and a
bridge user.
We may also note that Pen, so far, has not completed
any Ibran translation of his growing body of work.
Perhaps he never gets around to it...
Meredith
MansfieldOh, no. I
like to think of Foix getting hold of the Ibran
copy and what he'd make of it. :)Oh, no. I like to think of Foix
getting hold of the Ibran copy and what he'd make
of it. :)...more Nov 23,
2023 11:55AM ·
flag
Karenhuntor
perhaps there are only a few copies left. and
they're in some monastery being kept out of sight
until it is safe.or perhaps there are only a few
copies left. and they're in some monastery being
kept out of sight until it is safe....more Nov 27,
2023 05:04AM ·
flag
SableswordMy
fan-canon is that the Curse made Chalion a place
that sorcerers avoided and that was unhealthy for
the spontaneous demons that popped up - and
thatMy fan-canon is that the Curse
made Chalion a place that sorcerers avoided and
that was unhealthy for the spontaneous demons
that popped up - and that it left Chalion a land
that was backwards and ignorant when it came to
demons and sorcery. The Darthicans of the time
would no doubt be waspish about Chalionese
ignorance and backwardness, whenever the subject
came up.
But yeah, the Quadrenes stamping out sorcery
would also have had a big effect, prior to the
Curse....more Dec 06,
2023 06:33AM ·
flag
KarenhuntI've seen
a couple, one from child-Pyotr's POV (very short
tale), and one from POV of discoverers. There's
definitely a lot of room for more
stories..I've seen a couple, one from
child-Pyotr's POV (very short tale), and one from
POV of discoverers. There's definitely a lot of
room for more stories......more Dec 04,
2023 05:26AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't know if I will write a novella or story set in
Pen's college/seminary years -- it would depend on me
hitting just the right-sized idea -- but they were a
pretty intense time for him and a big change from his
restricted youth in the rural mountains. The life of
the mind opened up for him there. Plus he was
assimilating Des, an even larger store of experience.
Plus, y'know, he'd lately met his god, which ought to
be life-changing for anyone.
The one bit of head-canon I have for him was that he
actually did have a girlfriend there for a while, a
music student. Alas, she graduated and went to be a
Temple choirmaster elsewhere, and married someone less
complicated and high-maintenance, the way ya do.
(Though she never forgot his baritone.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Welcome to my work! I hope it gives you many years of
enjoyment.
I don't do many personal appearances anymore -- travel
etc. is the "retired" part of my "semi-retired" state.
Once in a while I'll do something around the Twin
Cities, but I don't have anything planned at the
moment.
Also once in a while -- I resist -- someone will catch
me for some online something. Latest was this:
Sarah
PacettiThank you
so much for the reply, and good for you! I'm
happy for your semi-retirement. I hope you get
lots of rest and joy from it.
Looking forward toThank you so much for the reply,
and good for you! I'm happy for your
semi-retirement. I hope you get lots of rest and
joy from it.
Looking forward to seeing what Cmd. Naismith gets
up to next! Take care!!...more Dec 01,
2023 09:06AM ·
flag
Pierre-Alexandre
SicartOh, there
are interractive options too. Just this year, I
attended a Q&A with Orson Scott Card, another
with Tim Powers, and another with Jody Lynn
NyOh, there are interractive
options too. Just this year, I attended a Q&A
with Orson Scott Card, another with Tim Powers,
and another with Jody Lynn Nye. It's like a video
interview, except that the interviewer (the
moderator) asks the questions posted by the
audience in the messaging section. It works real
well. Orson Scott Card was able to keep going for
THREE HOURS, which... I don't know how he did it.
In most cases, a one-hour limit is enforced
And of course, in your case, there's Goodreads.
Thank you for taking the time to answer all our
questions like that!
(I do wish Goodreads's message boxes weren't so
ridiculously small, though.)...more Dec 03,
2023 05:21AM ·
flag
As I read about murder miracles (er, “death miracles,”
sorry, that was a spell…ing mistake), I wondered what
would happen in some specific—but not exceedingly
rare—situations.
... Darnit. I wrote my question in Word, but it's too
long, I can't paste it here. I put it there instead:
Lois McMaster
Bujold
We saw one of your prospective scenarios in the
backstory for The Curse of Chalion, with Fonsa
the Fairly-Wise and the Golden General. But no one
knows what extra things may have been going on
underneath in these events visible to the god but no
one else.
I would think just the known existence of such miracles
would have a chilling effect on villainy in general,
but alas. People. "No one is a villain in his own eyes"
and all that.
Though one could mull on the fact that the gods want
people to grow good/great souls, which is not
actually the same thing as good/great lives.
Death is not necessarily a tragedy in Their views.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I try to avoid reading fic of my own works, though
people are perfectly welcome to write it. (Though I'm
happy to read in other fandoms.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Miles is so different from his dad, and Ekaterin from
his mom, it won't be quite the same. Also, here we have
the chance for six different reactions to their
parenting, so there could be quite a range across the
siblings; plus sibling interactions with each other
that Miles lacked.
So there will be some great-man effects (or
embarrassing-dad, at certain ages -- not an issue
shared by Miles vs. Aral.)
They are also growing up in a different world, in the
generational not the planetary sense.
And the rest I must leave to the ficcers, but to borrow
another term from that community, my head-canon is that
Alex goes for architecture, Helen becomes interested in
law/a lawyer (and gets the duties of count's voice
dumped upon her by big bro so he may continue to pursue
his own passion, to both their satisfactions) Taurie
goes for the military, Lizzie for science, and Selig
and Simone are the wild cards.
Nirkatze@Kate
Davenport--I was wondering that too--how much of
his adventures are public? At the very least, his
Imperial Auditor position and his casework
wo@Kate Davenport--I was
wondering that too--how much of his adventures
are public? At the very least, his Imperial
Auditor position and his casework would be
potentially known... Then there's the possibility
of someone finding his old uniform or the drawer
full of medals... Storytime with Dad could get
quite interesting...
"Now, don't tell anyone I told you, but there was
this one time..."...more Dec 10,
2023 01:41AM
NirkatzeI would
love to meet Miles's sisters... Cordelia's
daughters... and Jole's sons as well... children
of all three...I would love to meet Miles's
sisters... Cordelia's daughters... and Jole's
sons as well... children of all three......more Dec 10,
2023 01:43AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
...Is "freshen up" not a term/polite euphemism used in
Europe?
Or just medieval Europe.
Technically, none of the 5GU characters are speaking
any our-Earth languages, so there ought to be
some elbow room in pretend-translation by the Author.
But I do try to comb out metaphors, anachronisms, and
terms based on technologies that don't exist there. (I
really miss being able to use "download" and "upload"
when discussing demons and souls.) This gets fuzzy when
one gets to words like "sanguine" or "melancholic", or
"born under a bad star" based off medical and other
theories that never existed in the 5GU, but deeply
embedded in standard English. (The 5GU also happily
free of bleeding and cupping as medical practices, and
have discovered hand-washing centuries early, from
dreams from their Mother goddess demanding they Wash Up
First.)
Though I'm sure they have their own astrology and
alchemy at this point, accurate observation with gonzo
theories developed to account for them.
(And word echoes. I spend so much time in revisions
playing whack-a-mole with word echoes.)
Jonathan
Palfrey“Technically,
none of the 5GU characters are speaking any
our-Earth languages, so there ought to be some
elbow room in pretend-translation by the
Auth“Technically, none of the 5GU
characters are speaking any our-Earth languages,
so there ought to be some elbow room in
pretend-translation by the Author.” Yes, this is
true. Subjectively, it feels anachronistic to me
(an Englishman) when I encounter Americanisms in
mediæval times. Although it’s funny that I feel
that way, because the English I speak would also
be anachronistic in mediæval times…
“But I do try to comb out metaphors,
anachronisms, and terms based on technologies
that don't exist there.” You’re very diligent;
and it works! The result feels authentic. I
reread the beginning of The Hallowed Hunt just
now, and I really I feel that I’m there! There's
nothing out of place to distract.
“Freshen up” has never been part of my
vocabulary, and I don’t remember hearing anyone
but an American using it. Of course, I can’t
swear that it’s not used in Europe, or even in
England. But I suspect that any such use has
crept over from the USA, in the way that things
do. (And I noticed a Youtube video recently about
British expressions that have crept over to the
USA.)...more Dec 08,
2023 09:27AM ·
flag
PersAs a Brit
I can confirm "Freshen up" gets used in
England.As a Brit I can confirm "Freshen
up" gets used in England....more Dec 08,
2023 07:41PM ·
flag
Anna
PersdotterI really
appreciate authors who take this into account.
I've recently a of fantasy-book that used the
word mohawk to describe the hairstyle. And
anothI really appreciate authors who
take this into account. I've recently a of
fantasy-book that used the word mohawk to
describe the hairstyle. And another where the
phrase "cut to the chase" was used frequently.
Very annoying! (And english isn't even my first
language!)...more Dec 12,
2023 01:37PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It was mostly inspired by Des. And the reflection that
with that expert guidance on board, he ought to be
really good at it!
(Crossdressing a a trope predates manga by a few
centuries, or possibly millenia.)
I got into manga via anime, which I first encountered
at SF cons back in the 80s. Explored more when a few
cassettes filtered into video rental stores in the 90s,
then came Netflix discs by mail and access suddenly
bloomed. I began tracking manga when anime series were
truncated, to see how the stories came out.
Lois McMaster
Bujold Island of Siliang is very fine, but The
Untamed is what put me at the top of the slippery
slope of modern Asian media, about 3 years ago, and
shoved.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
With respect specifically to "Jeeze!", one has to know
it was a politer contraction of "Jesus", like darn to
damn, from a time when such expressions were considered
blasphemous. (We have moved on to different
forbidden/violated vocabularies now.) Very
anachronistic in fantasy ancient China. One might have
gotten away with "Buddha!", I suppose... It's possible
the young translator had never heard the word used as
anything but a noise of surprise, and did not know its
history. But yes, you confirm my suspicion that the
original word in Chinese had none of the above
historical baggage.
I have interacted with a few of my translators, mostly
since email; it was not feasible before. Though my
Japanese translator did get to visit me briefly back in
my early days in Marion, OH, when she was in the States
to visit her brother at Cornell. I remember
specifically trying to explain the idiom "he pursed his
lips" by fetching out a little string bag I happened to
have, and demonstrating its closure. But again, one has
to know that's what archaic purses looked like.
It's generally an exercise in mutual frustration,
especially when only the one side speaks both
languages. There is apparently no word in French that
conveys exactly what the term "wooden" does for a
person's expression, ferex. A few times, I was able to
catch errors of understanding, but the ratio of work to
result on both sides was uneconomically high.
So, a very interesting exercise, but one I should
likely stay out of, unless asked some very specific
question by a translator. And even then, I can only
expand on what I meant in English, and can never know
what the term chosen in the target language may be
doing viz connotation, etc.
Pierre-Alexandre
SicartOh, there
are ways to translate "wooden" into French, but
the best one varies depending on the reason for
the wooden expression, the shade of
emotion,Oh, there are ways to translate
"wooden" into French, but the best one varies
depending on the reason for the wooden
expression, the shade of emotion, the surrounding
metaphors, the sounds and rhythm and length of
the translated sentence and its neighbors,
etc.
I once translated, from French to English, a
children book about a shoemaker falling in love.
It was a compendium of foot-related puns.
Translating it was a real challenge, but a lot of
fun!
With regard to author-translator cooperation, I
tried to play it the way the author wanted. Some
authors like being involved. Others would rather
I did my work and left them alone!
Once, after I’d translated of book of Orson Scott
Card, Thibaud Eliroff (J’ai Lu’s head honcho)
went through my translation and, to avoid giving
me additional work, put all the thoughts in
italics himself. I then had to tell him that
Scott hated the use of italics for thoughts. He
undid all his work without protest. I was very
impressed, and to this day, I’m still horribly
embarrassed to have acted as a diva, even if it
wasn’t for my own sake.
Mrs. Bujold, if ever J’ai Lu ever offers you a
contract, go for it. I was thoroughly impressed
by their professionalism. Even at the proofs
stage, no comment was considered too picky. If,
for instance, the bottom of a “g” was too close
to the top of an “l” on the next line, which is
considered inelegant, the lines were adjusted.
Every line was reviewed this way, more than once
as changes were made. It was the first time my
perfectionism (I had crippling OCD as a child,
and have had it only somewhat under control
since) had met its match. It was both exhausting
and liberating! (And a little scary too, since
letting my OCD off its leash could make it harder
for me to rein it again afterward.)...more Jan 11,
2024 11:26PM ·
flag
Pierre-Alexandre
SicartGah.
Stupid me. J'ai Lu is the French publisher of the
Vorkosigan saga. 😅Gah. Stupid me. J'ai Lu is the
French publisher of the Vorkosigan saga. 😅...more Jan 11,
2024 11:39PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'd be delighted to sell the Penric series to a French
publisher, now collected into 4 tidy book-sized volumes
for just this purpose:
Operators are standing by... (At my agent's French
agent, Agence Litteraire Lenclud, which French
publishers presumably know how to find.)
But this decision is up to the publishers, who have to
choose books that they think will sell well, so they
don't sink their business. I have absolutely no guess
how my works fall in that decision matrix, except that
if Sauron had the Ring we would know it I lack
evidence that I'm a top seller in France. Persistent,
consistent, maybe, but not breakout. C'est la vie.
Yes, that's a negative feedback loop. Welcome to
publishing. (But not e-publishing, which is why I'm now
a hybrid indie-traditional writer.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Since I wrote the first drafts of my first 10 published
novels in pencil in a 3-ring binder, I am unimpressed
by all the futzing over writing paraphernalia. The
penciled drafts were subsequently transcribed for
submission drafts onto a succession of other tools over
time -- typewriter, Coleco Adam, KayPro II, whatever
came after that in the way of desktops, couple of Dell
laptops, and now, my nice compact Lenovo Thinkpad. I
gradually graduated to writing first drafts from the
penciled notes/outlines directly on my computer when I
first got my own writing space, a little
computer stand in my bedroom. Around 1993.
Environment's improved, step by step and move by move
over the years, but I still do my prelim notes in
pencil in a binder. College-ruled punched paper bought,
usually, in the grocery store.
So no, tech has not changed my process much, although I
make happy and heavy use of the built-in spelling check
and thesaurus Word comes with. My first drafts go down
faster -- though in the same chunks, scene or
part-scene spurts -- but I do (and need) a lot more
micro-editing, so no time is saved overall. I almost
never make printouts anymore. I'm very happy not to
have to mail manuscripts. After the notes (still in
pencil in a 3-ring binder) it's pixels all the way to
publication now.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
All the Pen & Des stories are available from Blackstone
Audiobooks and its vendors under their individual
titles. (Well, the newest one, "Demon Daughter" will be
coming later this year.)
Also to be found on Amazon, Kobo, Nook, Google Play,
and possibly other vendors. And don't forget
Downpour.com -- Blackstone's own audio download
distribution outlet.
For anyone wondering where to start, the internal
chronology of the series goes:
“Penric’s Demon”
“Penric and the Shaman”
“Penric’s Fox”
“Masquerade in Lodi”
“Penric’s Mission”
“Mira’s Last Dance”
“The Prisoner of Limnos”
“The Orphans of Raspay”
“The Physicians of Vilnoc” The Assassins of Thasalon
“Knot of Shadows”
“Demon Daughter”
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No offers since the mid-90s, which are, good grief,
almost 30 years ago now.
My ideal would of course be a miniseries that hews
closely to the books.
That said, I think Falling Free could be a good
stand-alone animated feature film -- it could all be
squeezed into 90 minutes without losing much. The
Spirit Ring likewise, same reason, but those are
not the books most folks are thinking about.
But the sad truth is, once a production company
licensed any work of mine, it would be run through
multiple committees of endless compromises on its route
to release, and what came out the other end probably
wouldn't have much resemblance to my books. There are
also the Problems of Miles, not only his physical
appearance but the fact (shared with my other point of
view characters) that much is what of most interest to
readers including the humor is actually happening
inside his head, in his thought-stream, and making that
visual would be very hard.
All that said, it could be a great (if expensive)
advertisement for my books...
Jonathan
PalfreyMartha: I
first read LotR in 1968, when I was 14, found it
readable enough then, and reread it I don’t know
how many times before the films came out.Martha: I first read LotR in 1968,
when I was 14, found it readable enough then, and
reread it I don’t know how many times before the
films came out. Peter Jackson’s films make quite
a nice visual supplement to the book in places,
but they get the story wrong in many small and
not-so-small ways. Various times I’ve started to
watch the films but became irritated and reread
the book instead. Although I have watched the
films all the way through at least once....more Jan 26,
2024 03:13PM ·
flag
JerriLike
Jonathan, I first read LotR (and The Hobbit) long
before the movies were thought of, probably about
1971 or so, and re-read many times. And
enjoyLike Jonathan, I first read LotR
(and The Hobbit) long before the movies were
thought of, probably about 1971 or so, and
re-read many times. And enjoyed the visual
supplement to the books, but was frustrated by
the changes made, many of them
foolishly/needlessly. But different strokes for
different folks....more Feb 20,
2024 03:44PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The biggest difference for me is exactly that -- big --
the ability in ebooks to enlarge the type so my aging
eyes can comfortably read it. I've given away scads of
old paperbacks and some hardcovers that have print now
too small for me.
I do agree about the tactile memory pleasure of a
beloved much-read paper book.
My late brother said he'd read Chalion over 40
times. Whatever literary nourishment it was giving him
must have been very great, or very needed. I never did
tease out from him exactly what.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This seems to be a comment that was not put in the
comment section of whatever Q&A it was responding
to, so I have no idea what it's about.
Do be careful, folks, not to get the boxes for comments
on old questions and those for new questions mixed up.
Responses will get separated from their antecedents and
become incomprehensible.
Pierre-Alexandre
SicartTo be
fair, the comment box is so small and the "Ask
Lois McMaster Bujold another question" is placed
in such a way as to facilitate such mistakes.
ITo be fair, the comment box
is so small and the "Ask Lois McMaster Bujold
another question" is placed in such a way as to
facilitate such mistakes. I several times started
writing a comment in the wrong box myself....more Jan 21,
2024 05:25PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yeah, the lack of a search function (and/or my failure
to provide tags) is an ongoing problem. In part because
some questions do come up repeatedly, and it would be
handy to link old answers.
With regards to the necklace, it was the solution my
Minneapolis art jeweler friend Elise Matthesen came up
with when I brought her my box of assorted award
nominee pins I'd accumulated, and wanted them all put
together in a way I wouldn't lose. (Again. One Nebula
nomination pin was lost when I left a jacket it was
pinned to in a restaurant, never recovered, although
SFWA kindly provided me with a replacement.) And also
that I could conveniently display in such venues where
it means something to folks, conventions and
booksignings and PR photos and so on. Because pinning
them all to a shirt had become impractical. (Mike
Resnick, for a while, had a sort of cloth bandolier he
could keep all his pins on, which lent him a
bandit-like look, and might have given me the idea.)
Elise calls it, justly, "wearable art".
I thought there was a little illustrated essay on it
somewhere, but a cursory look does not turn up a link.
In any case, I am indeed wearing it in the recent PR
shot that goes with this blog, where I'm standing in
front of the poster with all of Ron Miller's Vorkosigan
ebook covers. (Of which people can buy copies, by the
way. See
https://society6.com/product/the-vork... )
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Early essay, but not incompatible, I think. This sort
of hallucination or compulsion spell is normally the
province of shamanic magic in this world, as later
developed. We do see sorcerer Pen do it much later on
(in both book and world time) at a price: the horses he
sent on their ways in "Mission", the courier he
hypnotized at the end of "Limnos". What price Hallana
pays or how she learned it, or if she's special (well,
we know that) and it's one of her several god-gifts,
not worked out because I didn't need to at that point,
plus it wasn't in her viewpoint.
Lois Bujold@
Jonathan -- No, he was just hypnotized. "Else the
delusion will wear off in a few hours," as
Hallana states.
Granted, the moment might have been unde@ Jonathan -- No, he was just
hypnotized. "Else the delusion will wear off in a
few hours," as Hallana states.
Granted, the moment might have been
under-described, if you were picturing a material
pig. But falling to all fours and grunting may
indeed be done by any human.
Jonathan
PalfreyAh yes, I
apologize. Reading the scene in the past, I
always assumed that he’d actually been turned
into a pig; but, reading it again more
carefully,Ah yes, I apologize. Reading the
scene in the past, I always assumed that he’d
actually been turned into a pig; but, reading it
again more carefully, I see that he was indeed
suffering from a delusion rather than a
transformation. So the only anomaly is that
Hallana should have had a nosebleed; which she
was spared for some unknown reason....more Jan 25,
2024 09:07AM ·
flag
This
question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Hi Lois! Your books continue to be a
great gift and companions along the journey. They have
also inspired some great fanfic. One idea that is
explored now and then is Gregor awarding Illyan the
prefix 'Vor' upon his retirement. It would make thing
with Alys easier, and I enjoy exploring the concept but I
am not sure it would actually fit. Did you ever consider
this, and how did you decide for or against? Merci!
(hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I decided against, or rather, Simon and Alys did. It's
a different political statement if he is offered and
politely refuses. And both Alys and Simon
not-so-secretly enjoy the transgressiveness of a love
affair across caste lines. Cordelia agrees it sets a
good example for the younger (and older)
generation.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
They already have been. Look for the Baen Books titles
Penric's Progress, Penric's Travels, and
Penric's Labors.
They've been out for a while, so don't expect to still
just find them on store shelves. You'll have to order
them, either through your favorite physical bookstore,
or online.
(Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore here in
Minneapolis still carries them, and does mail
order.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I only just signed the contracts for these a few days
ago, so it will be a while. I'm guessing 4 - 6 months
for the audio and maybe a year for SubPress. It was a
surprise entry for both in their publishing queues --
mine as well. Blackstone needs time to record, though
if they reuse Ron Miller's cover art that will save a
step, and SubPress must contract cover art and also
send me 1200 tip sheets/signature pages to sign, which
they can't print up till they have the cover art. And
so on.
I will make blog post announcements when things go
live.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
When I semi-retired a few years back, the retirement
part was mostly from business travel and public
speaking, neither of which are comfortable for me
anymore. (Although public speaking has managed to
follow me home through Zoom, etc., oops. Still not
comfortable, but at least no airports.) The
writing part, happily, is on the semi side of
that hyphen, slowed but not impeded.
So, no Glasgow for me this year, although I have fond
memories of the last Worldcon there in the 90s --
Mirror Dance won a Hugo, for a memento still on
my shelves.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Your first question is similar to how one would tell if
a new demon infested a cat... :-) You need someone with
second/god-sight to diagnose it: saint, petty saint,
sorcerer or shaman. And older demon with human
personalities and speech would make it more obvious by
their ascended behavior, although a very clever demon
might even keep that concealed for a while.
I have no idea yet what Pen's relation to Caz's time
till be. His books will certainly linger in Temple
libraries in all realms where they've had translations,
which so far does not include the Ibran peninsula.
A much older Penric interests me, although I don't want
to jump prematurely over all the cool story
possibilities that lie nearer term.
This
question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I couldn't find this being asked or
discussed before: Were the forms of the four major
malices in the books inspired by classic monsters? The
Wolf Ridge and Laurel Gap malices may seem obvious but
the Glassforge description reminded me of Ben Grimm in FF
#1, inspired by clay golems. The Greenspring malice seems
comparable to what Victor Frankenstein was attempting to
create. (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
BujoldAll
the classic monsters are potential models for malices;
they are very protean. Malices do have an underlying
program or set of compulsions that, though infected and
inflected by what they eat, make them not creatures of
free will; obligate carnivores, or rather life-vores,
with no limiters, sort of like a cross between cancer
and unregulated capitalism.
I don't know what FF#1 may be, but I recently watched
the excellent anime Frieren: Beyond Journey's
End -- the exceedingly creepy demons in that show
have the same sort of Turing-machine style I imagined
for my malices. They cannot be reasoned with (though
they are smart enough to simulate it with clever
lying); only destroyed.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
NESFA Press has the first 8 or so VK books in nice
smallish hardcovers, still in print. You can get them
(signed) from Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore,
and some through Dreamhaven Books & Comics. You may
also be able to order directly from NESFA. (Which is
the New England Science Fiction Association, in
full.)
Uncle Hugo's also carries new copies of a lot of my
older titles -- you should check their catalog.
http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/ah-bujo...
You can email the store to inquire about any you don't
see there.
There has never been a uniform VK set apart from my
indie e-volumes. (Which you can see on that poster to
my left in my Goodreads PR photo.)
Amazon, I note, generally has its descriptions of used
books for sale stating their condition; "Like new" is
probably a useful descriptor though one is of course
dependent on the reliability of the sub-vendor
providing same.
In general, reprints of backlist books only happen if
there is either a big new frontlist book offered
expected to sell really well, to carry them in its
wake, or a big media adaptation. The currents odds
against both are in the "hit by a meteorite" range.
Lois McMaster
Bujold"How do I write my books?" is a
short question with an answer much too long for this
tiny typing box. I have answered a bunch of questions
on my writing process earlier in this column, but,
alas, no search function. You might try scrolling back
a ways.
But this oft-quoted dictum is actually about justly
matching plot to character, not about random
character-torture as is often misconstrued. "What's the
most interesting thing that could happen to this
character next (or, for the more active sorts, "that
this character could do next") that I haven't already
done?" is closer to my real start-point/s.
I have a bunch of stuff on my process already written
out at length in The Vorkosigan Companion (at
Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Vorkosigan-Com... and other
e-vendors.) This was pulled together in the mid-00s, so
the parts where I talk about making printouts on paper
of my drafts for editing are now obsolete -- it's
pixels all the way since the mid-teens -- but the
creative/organizing parts are still much the same.
(Also check your local library -- I see mine still has
a copy available.)
I was glancing over the volume for the first time in a
while, to be sure it contained what you'd asked for on
writing process, and was most struck by what's happened
to the ebooks market since the huge game-changing
impact of Kindle -- at that time I was still on the
early ebooks vendor Fictionwise, later bought up and
absorbed by Nook.
Ta, L.
(I should probably make a blog post on the
Companion. I bet a lot of newer readers don't
know it exists.)
WhutAwesome,
thanks for the response! I actually JUST learned
the Companion existed after stumbling upon
and reading Edward James's Lois McMaster
Bujold (Awesome, thanks for the response!
I actually JUST learned the Companion
existed after stumbling upon and reading Edward
James's Lois McMaster Bujold (Modern Masters
of Science Fiction).. The Companion was going
to be my next read on your work, perhaps after
diving back into a few Vorkosigan books
first....more Feb 07,
2024 11:49AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Start with Shards of Honor. The short story
"Aftermaths" is appended at the back in its proper
chronological place, as a sort of codicil chapter.
It was written after Shards -- Jim Baen pubbed
it in advance in what he called his "paperback
magazine" Far Frontiers to try to give brand-new
writer me a bit of an introduction to readers a month
before the novel was due to be first published, for
PR.
Are your reading the series for the first time, and are
you aiming to follow publication or
internal-chronological order?
Internal-chronological order (as well as pub order) is
presently listed here:
I have no idea if something more for The Sharing
Knife will emerge in future. I have nothing for it
at the moment. But then at the beginning of last
October (2023), I'd have sworn I had nothing for Pen &
Des, yet at the end of October I suddenly did, so who
knows.
I've mostly been engaged with exploring Penric's
possibilities, although with 12 stories it's also
getting harder to come up with something new for him
that's different from all the others. Otta and Atto
were a delightful surprise to us both.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
That is a loose end not yet addressed. It may be
something as boring as Adelis-Tanar-Bosha sent to
rent/buy the old house and retrieve it, after they were
established in power in Thasalon. (Nothing so
challenging as what the Arquas had to deal with!) Or it
might turn up as a side-moment in some future tale.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
My ebooks have zero shipping costs, and one platform or
another ought to be available in Portugal. Apple Books,
Amazon Kindle, and Kobo plus some Google Play Bookstore
books should all be pretty international, and have
most/all of my backlist available in e-editions.
Kindle, I know, offers free downloads of the Kindle
reading app, which you should be able to pull in on
whatever device you used for this Q. I suspect the
other vendors are equally buyer-friendly.
There are no plans for any re-issues of paper editions
at this time. Any such would require either a new
frontlist novel and the promise of more, or a big media
adaptation, neither of which are in the offing just
now. The latter may change, the former probably will
not. (Reissues as hardcovers are wildly rare -- the
writer would have to be Tolkien-level. And mass market
paperback sales generally have taken a beating from
ebooks, and are struggling at the moment.)
Meanwhile, most of my paper books are still available
used, or new through various bookstores (Uncle Hugo's
in Minneapolis for a case in point) or online vendors,
but then you are back to the shipping-costs issue.
Jonathan
PalfreyAna: I
live in Spain, and normally buy from Amazon in
Spain (amazon.es), which supplies the full range
of books in English: both paper books and
e-booAna: I live in Spain, and normally
buy from Amazon in Spain (amazon.es), which
supplies the full range of books in English: both
paper books and e-books. I see that amazon.es
also reckons to support Portugal, and the
language of the site can be switched to
Portuguese. I suppose your shipping costs will be
much less if you order from amazon.es....more Feb 26,
2024 11:04PM ·
flag
Ana MartinsThank you
for your reply. Indeed, I can access the online
versions, however, I still prefer paper. I
usually use Amazon Spain (with premium the
shippiThank you for your reply. Indeed,
I can access the online versions, however, I
still prefer paper. I usually use Amazon Spain
(with premium the shipping is free for
Portugal).
I will continue to try to buy the paperbacks
available when possible, I want to have the
entire Vorkosigan Saga.
By the way, I would love to see a TV series
adaptation for Miles's story. It would be amazing
:)...more Feb 27,
2024 03:16PM ·
flag
Lee at
ReadWriteWishL, did you
just tease us with talk of an adaptation?
Ha! Mar 04,
2024 04:11AM ·
flag
Though at Adelis-Tanar-Bosha's economic level, there
would be plenty of servants around; Bosha also has a
job, possibly a new one or two, so I don't think the
parallel with your acquaintance would hold.
JerriCousins,
what a thought. If that doesn't spring ideas for
a new tale, I don't know what will.Cousins, what a thought. If that
doesn't spring ideas for a new tale, I don't know
what will....more Mar 01,
2024 10:27AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I certainly don't have anything as formal as a
spreadsheet (nor would I know how to make one.) I do
keep notes, in pencil in a 3-ring binder, where I also
do my preliminary outlining as I'm working through
story scenes. Mostly my idea-jottings don't go
anywhere, even after a couple of pages of further
development, but sometimes they do.
If I'm revisiting a character or place in a proposed
story, I do reread as needed to refresh my memory.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yep. Palli took it because he was impressed with it,
and didn't want Caz to throw it away. Despite his rocky
authorial start, I see Caz as a future Quintarian
religious poet (in his rare spare time) of lasting
merit, in the mode of William Blake but more lyrical.
Words that make the hairs stand up on readers' necks,
that mean more than they mean, as he tries to
fumblingly explain. The Daughter of Spring is a
patroness of poetry, after all; he seeks to make
flowers to lay on Her altar. And to recapture, as if in
a dream, some ghost of that overwhelming moment of
union.
He never credits his own poetic power, because it falls
so far short of his direct experience of Her.
SandyYes, he
only sees how short his arrow fell from his
target, others see how vastly high it flew. It is
often that way with creators. Mar 05,
2024 05:12AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I do glance into the mirror occasionally and think,
"Eh, not bad for 74." Low bar, perhaps. I have no
dramatic health issues at the moment, just a
concatenation of minor aggravations of aging. (List
available on request, but, really.) Pretty sure I
wouldn't like to live forever, but I have no
expectation of checking out in the immediate
future.
Jonathan
PalfreyAndrew:
Definitely not if you still age! I’m reminded of
the song ‘Everdance’ (“Dry bones, sightless,
still he dances yet”). However, if you have
theAndrew: Definitely not if
you still age! I’m reminded of the song
‘Everdance’ (“Dry bones, sightless, still he
dances yet”). However, if you have the ability to
live forever, you can choose when to die, instead
of getting an unsolicited visit from Death sooner
than you would have chosen....more Mar 09,
2024 01:54PM ·
flag
LucyI agree if
you age then it will not be fun to live
forever. Mar 10,
2024 11:32AM ·
flag
I don't know exactly when, though. Besides finding it a
slot in their list, we still need cover art and, after
that, tip-sheet signing (because the signature pages
usually feature some of the art.) So, yes, but it might
be as much as a year. Because, print publishing. Should
be very nice when it gets here, though!
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I've read DD twice but I get completely
different elements when I listen to the audio book! I'm
really confused about the Bastard. I thought Quadrenes
didn't believe he existed at all but Otta calls him the
demon god. Would you help me understand? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Quadrenes absolutely believe the Bastard exists. It's
His classification that is up for hot debate. Is
He a god, or is He Something Else? To which the answer
is "Yes", but some people can't cope with ambiguity. No
coloring outside the lines if you're a Quadrene!
(People being people, they believe lots of other
things, too, true and false, but that's outside the
scope of this tiny typing box.)
(For even more bizarre real-world religious
hairsplitting, look up the origin of the phrase "not
one iota of difference" sometime... I wouldn't assert
that it's the stupidest argument ever to change
history, but it's certainly up there.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't write to deliver a "message". That would be
rather thudding. My normal process is to set my
characters up with an initial problem, turn them loose,
and let them show me their stories. Thus, I get to
learn as much along the way as they do.
Judging by reviews and fan mail, what my readers take
away from their wildly varied readings (of the same
texts mind) is, well, first, totally beyond my control.
Though I hope it will include, "Huh, that wasn't bad. I
wonder what else she's written?" With perhaps a side
order of "Eh, maybe I won't slit my wrists
today," but that part is also beyond my control,
so.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, clearly one did, for a while. The question is how
much of a prior human mind (i.e., experienced demon)
would be shaved off to fit if it were that sort of
transfer. Again from that example, quite a lot hung on
in bits in poor Ree.
The other is how much controlled chaos shedding it
would be possible for the demon to teach the dolphin
how to do. Both the dolphins who died in Masquerade
died of tumors, etc., engendered by such unshed chaos.
Their general ability to survive in the sea may also
have been compromised. (Though obviously, wheels coming
off their carts or things catching fire around them
would not have been issues.) Open question! Or at
least, open answer.
Conniption
VirtueIt of
course remains an open question how much of the
demon's... er, spiritual essence remained after
it went into the fox (in Penric's Fox.)
ClearlyIt of course remains an open
question how much of the demon's... er, spiritual
essence remained after it went into the fox (in
Penric's Fox.) Clearly enough to remember people
it knew before, and enough to care for the fox
and her kits.
Possibly enough to work magic on her own -- we
saw Des independently take action in Demon
Daughter, when Pen wasn't paying attention, so
the living entity (human or fox) doesn't need to
necessarily have volition about it....more Mar 21,
2024 06:24AM
Lois BujoldDes does
have blanket permission from Pen to act on her
own in emergencies, as her reflexes and
perceptions are faster, but that's more a measure
of tDes does have blanket permission
from Pen to act on her own in emergencies, as her
reflexes and perceptions are faster, but that's
more a measure of the established trust between
the pair than the demon ascending in spurts.
Granted it would look alarmingly the same from
the outside.
With the fox, it would be more the (already
humanized and trained) demon ascending in spurts,
giving way as needed to the fox to attend her fox
business. Dangerous but not malicious.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I'm sure saints would talk shop, and exchange other
mission-critical information, the same as any other
professionals. Also to get to complain about their
exalted jobs to someone else who understood.
Saints are pretty thin on the ground, especially the
specialized saints of the Bastard, but local ones would
know or know about each other, certainly. (Which leads
inevitably to fanficcy musing on what modern
communications tools would do to that, heh. Temple
websites?)
We did meet one all-but-saint of the Son in the
ill-fated shaman Scuolla, for a pointer. Male
comradeship, protection, rescue, hunting... there are
certainly possibilities.
Saints of the Daughter are an open question. (Well,
there was Cazaril, who was certainly one for a time.)
Virginity, early childhood education, lyric poetry,
temple guards, and spring flowers are rather a grab bag
of attributes; there may be more yet to be
devised/explored.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It's not legislation the VK district needs, it's
economic and technological development (the two go hand
in hand), education and medical care (ditto), and
terraforming. None of which are as easy to implement as
waving a pen. People are working hard on all these, but
there's so much to do, and it goes "as slowly as a baby
grows". If you look from week to week, you see nothing,
year to year, some, decade to decade, lots.
Aral, I keep needing to point out, did not have a free
hand in the district till Piotr died when Miles was 17,
although Cordelia was able to get in some groundwork on
the education and medical sides after the
reconciliation when Miles was about 6, as "women's
work". With a full school generation built and coming
on to do the work, when they did get full control they
were able to implement quite a lot -- Aral through
appointed deputies, as he was always tied up in the
capital, Cordelia directly.
By the time we come to the Sergyar Years, Miles,
Ekaterin, and Mark as a team are able to do even more,
with the human capital painstakingly built up over the
prior decade and a half. One cannot run (or build, for
that matter) either a hospital or a fusion power plant
without highly and expensively trained people.
Returning retirees from the military, who had their
tech training beyond the district, would be very
important starter-leavening for these projects in all
eras.
Another point that escapes many readers is that there
must always have been quite a bit of what we would dub
local democracy going in all over Barrayar, or the
place simply would not function. Village moots (of
non-uniform sorts, depending on local history) choose
the village Speakers, not the district count, ditto
town and township councils, city mayors, and so on. A
count is the titular head of the district justice
system, but even a little math must reveal that he has
a whole web of people under him, of which the books
only give tiny glimpses, that decide and filter out
almost everything but final appeals. The system runs
more heavily to build-ups of precedent, bottom-up, than
official codes, top-down, though it has both, again
varying by district. Granted, the cumulative effect can
get almost as weird as British law.
My further thoughts on all this drift from
worldbuilding to the more meta level of novel writing
(and selling), so this is probably enough for now.
Rowan"...the
cumulative effect can get almost as weird as
British law."
As a British person, I approve of this
analogy!"...the cumulative effect can get
almost as weird as British law."
As a British person, I approve of this
analogy!...more Mar 18,
2024 01:21PM ·
flag
Elliott
GoodI see
your point.
I just found it strange how it jumps from miles
being in the back country with that dead baby to
space shenanigans, still enjoy yourI see your point.
I just found it strange how it jumps from miles
being in the back country with that dead baby to
space shenanigans, still enjoy your work....more Mar 19,
2024 05:55AM ·
flag
Marti
DolataElliot
Good - that contrast between mountain and
galactic life of which Miles is well aware, gave
rise to his dedication to Barryar, and tied him
to bElliot Good - that contrast
between mountain and galactic life of which Miles
is well aware, gave rise to his dedication to
Barryar, and tied him to being Lord Vorkosigan
rather than the little Admiral , despite all
temptation. That sort of deep character building
is what keeps me rereading the series, even after
40 years!!...more Apr 09,
2024 01:00PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
am not personally religious at this time, having no
belief in the supernatural. My family background is
Protestant Christian. But I have friends from many
other faiths. And, of course, I've read about and
studied religions through history, everything from
Roman and pre-Roman paganism, medieval Catholicism,
other world mythologies, Buddhism, and on and on. It's
a fascinating subject, both historically and
psychologically. Why do people believe what they
believe? (And behave as they behave.) And so on.
Religions, it seems to me, have two major aspects:
supernatural assertions, and moral or ethical
teachings, advice for living rightly. The latter can
have a lot to teach separately from the former, and
need not depend for their validity on it.
The form of this question, which is a very popular one,
gives me some odd reflections on the nature of novels
existing in a sort of timeless now, leading to some
readers picturing writers as also existing in a
timeless now, when in fact the 30-something writer
Bujold is a very different person than the 70-something
(semi-retired) writer Bujold, and not only for the 40
more years of physical wear and tear. It also leads to
different perceptions of the books between the older
readership who has been following along for decades,
and a (hoped-for!) new audience who is discovering them
for the first time all at once, as if they'd all been
written and published last week. Which ebooks do sort
of invite.
Reader-response is endlessly fascinating in its
complexity...
Bob IrwinJust
wishful thinking. I am re-reading the series,
again (more than a dozen times). FTR I give
"Mountains of Mourning" ebook to anyone who will
take iJust wishful thinking. I am
re-reading the series, again (more than a dozen
times). FTR I give "Mountains of Mourning" ebook
to anyone who will take it, as it is a book that
was found on Baen's Free List. No other ebooks
have been given away, even though Fictiowise gave
me a disc will all books sans copy-protection.
However, my wife, son, and I have gifted
softcover books for this series more than a dozen
times. (And... I still have your signature on my
PocketPC eReader.)...more Mar 26,
2024 10:27AM ·
flag
Norine
LukerScience
fiction and fantasy novels seem to me to be the
ones most likely to exist in their own time and
space, in a sort of inverse proportion to
howScience fiction and fantasy novels
seem to me to be the ones most likely to exist in
their own time and space, in a sort of inverse
proportion to how much of the current world the
author weaves into the story. I found your works
about 8 years ago and am happy to read them over
and over, even those that had been written gosh
knows how many years before. Other favorites of
mine have not fared quite so well. One author who
set her scifi series in a near future has had to
scramble a bit to incorporate technology shifts
which make reading the earlier novels jarring.
Older fantasy and scifi that I used to really
enjoy have suffered from shifts of attitude in
the culture that make me sort of cringe.
Historical novels are a little more palatable
that way, you can't fault Georgette Heyer for
incorporating first cousin romances when that was
acceptable at the time, but certainly the
strength of her writing keeps you going past that
first oh yuck. Anyway, I think it is a testament
to your writing that so far, rereading your work
remains a full and happy transport to the world
of the five gods or Barrayar, each time
discovering new bits that are fully as engaging
as my first experience....more Mar 27,
2024 08:11AM ·
flag
Talli
RuksasThe almost
70 me gets very different things than the 30s me
did from your stories. Besides the pleasure from
them are the unexpected insights into mysThe almost 70 me gets very
different things than the 30s me did from your
stories. Besides the pleasure from them are the
unexpected insights into myself....more Mar 31,
2024 07:26AM ·
flag
Good question; I'm not sure when or if Pen would ever
return to Jurald Court. Travel is difficult in that
era, and travel with small kids difficult in any era,
so I wouldn't expect travel in the family years. The
one reason could have been his mom, but she passed away
before Pen ever left Martensbridge. He's not that close
to his surviving siblings, or his never-met
presumed-by-now nephews or nieces; there might have
been cousins or friends, but as time wears on there
would be ever fewer of those left alive. He probably
still exchanges yearly letters with eldest brother
Baron Rolsch, in a stilted Christmas card sort of
fashion.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This was a comment on a previous question about whether
Pen & Co. would ever visit the Cantons again, to which
the answer was "probably not."
The Goodreads layout here makes it unfortunately easy
to get mixed up between a comment box and a new
question box, in which, like this example, the comment
gets separated from its antecedent and bobs out to sea.
Watch out for this pitfall when commenting, folks!
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Alas, no sentient aliens in the Vorkosiverse. (Though
we have seen other biota -- apparently, one can't get
an oxygen atmosphere without it.) This is a genetic
engineering future, like Cordwainer Smith's
Instrumentality, where 10,000 years down the timeline
all the exotic aliens will be descended from us. We are
seeing the first stirrings of this future in Miles's
time. (I strongly rec the cycle of stories of
Cordwainer Smith, some of which have aged surprisingly
well from when I first met them in the late 1960s.)
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I noticed that: Miles ends up married
only when he is being rescued (from a murder trial), Duv
ends up roped into the groats circle, when he is in
danger of his life (Delia's big brick), Mark and Aral are
both (arguably) rescued from impending self-destructive
mental instability. Baz Jesek is vaguely comparable, as
is Enrique Burgos. Ivan (and By) don't fit the same mold.
Was that intentional? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Mm, perhaps. I wrote in the introduction to the
collection Penric's Progress: "In the world of
the five gods, magical powers are not inborn but
obtained, by—among other methods—acquiring a chaos
demon, an invisible bodiless entity stemming ultimately
from the fifth god, known as the Bastard in His holy
family. This led me to the need to make up the
character of the demon, which, in this system, opened
up a huge range of possibilities, since demons, all
beginning as identical blobs of escaped chaos, learn
their diverse personalities from the succession of
sorcerers they symbiotically inhabit over, potentially,
many lives. This also, to my vast amusement, gave me
the chance to combine the fetching young male
protagonist beloved by the market with the cranky older
woman so familiar from the inside of my own head."
None of my characters are me, but they do borrow from
my experiences, as from a lending library. Or as a cup
of sugar from the neighbor, or junk from the attic, or
a literary garage sale, whatever.
(Beware, by the way, the common misperception that only
female characters are imprinted this way from a female
writer. Or only male ones from a male, I expect.
Creativity routinely escapes such restrictive social
roles.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
If by spirits you mean sundered souls, perhaps a little
to both. The gods in general prefer to take up all the
feasible souls they can, sort of the opposite of the
old Calvinist "theory of the Elect", where only a tiny
fraction of the absurdly virtuous (by Calvinist
standards) go to heaven, all others rejected.
As we have seen, the Quadrene divines find ways to
stack the deck against reporting souls gone to
the fifth god, er, demon-god, but that's hardly the
same thing.
As we've also seen, souls of the dead come with a
best-by date, after which their deterioration renders
them unable to meaningfully assent. But it does build
in a short buyer's-remorse period where one might get
over one's first embarrassed rejection of a god or
gods. Or not, as may be.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Any plans for Cordelia's girls are pretty speculative,
beyond them being six very different persons, growing
up in a very science & sea oriented dual household with
their half brothers, as Cordelia & Oliver become a
Sergyar survey science team of note, with joint careers
spanning 6 or so decades. (Think, I dunno, some cross
between Mary & Louis B. Leakey and Jacques Cousteau?)
It would be amusing if this second half of her life
becomes the part most remembered in wider Nexus
annals.
I did have a thought the other day re: Selig & Simone,
who have always been the blank or wild cards among
Miles's kids -- I suspect they may end up on Sergyar,
actually. (I wonder if Cordelia will ever succeed in
getting the planet renamed? Couple generations on it's
probably as moot as the Americas being named for a dead
Italian geographer.)
Actually, I have pretty much relied from the beginning
on word-of-mouth to sell my books. While the internet
has speeded up this old slow-and-steady-wins-the-race
approach, it's also clogged the system with a lot more
competition. I am not a very noisy writer, nor do I
wish to become one, so I don't know of any solution I
can, or wish to, apply there. Meanwhile, word-of-mouth
will have to continue to serve.
Commenters below would be welcome to tell how they
first found my books, and what barriers they had to
overcome to decide to try them.
Donna
McMasterMy
parents, Robert and Phyllis McMaster, were avid
readers, and in the mid-70s started a used
bookstore. I inherited their love of books and
bookstoreMy parents, Robert and Phyllis
McMaster, were avid readers, and in the mid-70s
started a used bookstore. I inherited their love
of books and bookstores, and somewhere in the
late 90s one of the Vorkosigan books caught my
eye at a used bookstore, not for the title or
cover, but because “McMaster” was part of your
author name. 🙃 I fell in love with your books,
and when I discovered that your father’s name was
the same as mine, I felt as though I’d discovered
a long lost sister. One of my nieces is named
Lois McMaster (sadly, after her aunt, not you). I
tried to interest her in your books, but alas,
she is not an avid reader, a sure sign that she
must have been adopted. I now have almost all
your books as ebooks, some as hardbacks, and most
as audiobooks as well, and recommend them
whenever I can find someone to listen to me.
Thank you for many years of reading
pleasure!...more Aug 26,
2024 08:23PM
Richard
BootheHard to
recall, lo these many years, but I believe the
first Miles shorts in Analog SF&F got me
stared. I have a crumbling paperback of Shards I
boughHard to recall, lo these many
years, but I believe the first Miles shorts in
Analog SF&F got me stared. I have a crumbling
paperback of Shards I bought at A Change of
Hobbit when it first came out....more Apr 08,
2025 09:22PM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Beyond being a funny quip for that moment in the story,
I suppose this one has its deeper roots in me having
been a youth of the Vietnam War era, when America came
down off its hero-high lingering from WWII, in a lot of
unfun ways.
Norine
LukerSometimes
it seems to me that the whole Vietnam Era has
been erased, at least in terms of the more
existential lessons we learned from
it. Apr 25,
2024 08:32AM ·
flag
Jonathan
PalfreyGood or
bad is a subjective judgment. We think we’re
good, but we probably look bad to some people.
And plenty of bad guys (from our point of view)
maGood or bad is a subjective
judgment. We think we’re good, but we probably
look bad to some people. And plenty of bad guys
(from our point of view) may regard themselves as
good, in their own way....more Apr 25,
2024 02:24PM ·
flag
Marti
DolataI quote
the saying, "Everyone is the hero of their own
story."I quote the saying, "Everyone is
the hero of their own story."...more Jun 09,
2024 07:54AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
A lot of the galactics in the Vorkosigan series are
mixed races of several varieties, depending on founder
effects. Many are undescribed, which I expect doesn't
count, but there was Sergeant Chodak of the Dendarii
Mercenaries, and that diplomat and wives whom Miles met
in London, some quaddies, at least one haut lady of the
Star Creche, and a Tau Cetan captain, thought of as as
typical for his planet, who were. Also the Jewel
sibling, Jet. Some residents of Jackson's Whole run
heavily to a dark South Asian look, ferex Shiv
Arqua.
Fiametta Beneforte, heroine of The Spirit Ring
is most obviously what moderns would call black, or
mixed race if you prefer, with a black Ethiopian mother
(or grandparents, as she was born in alternate
Brindisi, Italy) and an Italian father. Her skin color
is described as "walnut".
Technically, the Barrayarans are all pretty much mixed
race, but with 600 years for a relatively small founder
population to blenderize, any original phenotypic group
distinctions don't much survive. But there are reasons
so many Barrayarans are described as having a
Mediterranean look -- another population that has had
generations to mix it up.
For the more advanced galactics who have had centuries
to mix 'n match genes ala carte, whose skin colors
would be whatever their parents chose for them
including red, blue, or green, one would need to think
carefully about what one means by assigning 21st C.
terms. See: Jet and sibs. And all the many different
gene-engineered people. How many arms do you have? How
many sexes? Can you breathe underwater? Are you a
hauntingly beautiful post-human with an extra set of
chromosomes? And so on.
Ooh, many, and if you see any, grab them. Two that
stand out are "The Game of Rat and Dragon" and the
haunting "A Planet Named Shayol". And, argh, that one
with Lord Jestocost and the cat girl, dredging
memory... "The Ballad of Lost C'Mell". That one's
primo. I've been known to mutter I'd like Miles to be
Lord Jestocost when he grows up, if he ever grows up
enough (debatable), and Pen, Ginko from the anime
"Mushishi", but that's another medium.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It was not worked out in detail, only in broad outline.
So no, there is no notebook full of elaborate
worldbuilding extant, but there are constraints -- the
shape of the box into which anything considered must
fit.
(There is no certainty on either the characters' parts
or mine if there ever were real gods in this world,
though there is certainly real magic power.)
Adger
WilliamsMmm.
Someone must think there are gods, or the
category wouldn't be available to be described as
"absent". This suggests a feeling of abandonment
in tMmm. Someone must think there are
gods, or the category wouldn't be available to be
described as "absent". This suggests a feeling of
abandonment in the minds of, at least some,
speakers, to me....more May 06,
2024 05:01AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I doubt Byerly will be getting much therapy on
Jackson's Whole, but he is getting a challenging and
extremely varied new job, or several, which may be just
as good. Any complaints about getting stale (and he
was) back in the dodgier parts of the Vorbarr Sultana
high-Vor scene will be right out the airlock.
No, I haven't worked out any canonical thoughts in
detail, but as Our Man On Jackson's Whole, he ends up
doing an excellent, if suitably Byerly-ish, job. He'll
likely be stuck out there for a lot longer due to his
competence than due to putative exile for that
unfortunate little architectural incident back
home.
Good question whether he does come back home, or when.
Rish won't be leaving the Jewels for a very long time,
if ever. And the Barrayar Byerly eventually comes back
to will be much changed, granted mostly for the better.
He could end up feeling alien on both ends. Which
suggests he might need to reinvent himself for a third
time, at age 60-something. Well, he has Simon Illyan's
example...
(Which leads to the question of what Simon and Alys
will be doing, after their year-long
galactic-holiday/informal exile creates a sharp break
with both their former jobs and scenes. No, I have no
clue, but something part time and occasional, absorbing
but not demanding, seems suitable to their then-ages.
Alys is about 5 years younger than Simon, just fyi.
Sergyar has been the all-purpose answer of where to
park excessively powerful retirees, but I'm not sure it
would suit this pair.)
This
question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[As I re-read and re-listen to Demon
Daughter, I have been wondering just how long Desdemona
has been working to keep Penric young. I can remember
many characters thinking and/or commenting on Penric's
youthful appearance in many early tales. Without looking
it up, I can remember such references in Penric and The
Shaman, Penric's Mission, and Orphans of R. for sure, and
I think more. What is natural and what is Des? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It's mostly natural at first, plus demon-supported
general good health, till Pen's suicide attempt at the
end of his Martensbridge years gave Des a huge scare.
After that, and deploying all the medical knowledge
accumulated over three physician-sorcerers' practices,
it's mostly Des, very intent and getting better at it
as she goes.
Yes, this has been in Pen's writer's mind for a
while.
Talli
RuksasCould she
work this on Nikys too? The children? Jun 02,
2024 07:07PM ·
flag
Lois Bujold@
Talli -- Des could keep Nikys and the kids in
good health, and will insofar she has the chance,
but she can't do what she's doing for Pen.
So yes, ov@ Talli -- Des could keep Nikys
and the kids in good health, and will insofar she
has the chance, but she can't do what she's doing
for Pen.
So yes, over enough time, that would play out as
you think.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, there is the novella "Knife Children", Barr and
Lily's sequel story, which you may already know about,
but apart from that I have nothing at this time.
(If you don't know, it's readily available as a ebook
and audiobook at the usual vendors. There is also a
print-on-demand edition.)
Yes, the thing about age gaps is that the initial
conditions, which are what some people get exercised
about, change over time; over enough time, they matter
less and less. 10 and 20 is a big age gap; 70 and 80
isn't.
Susan PriceAs I have
good friends who are 70 and nearly 80, this is
true. But even at 21 and 30, they were well
matched, which is the really important part for
aAs I have good friends who
are 70 and nearly 80, this is true. But even at
21 and 30, they were well matched, which is the
really important part for a relationship to
last....more Jun 14,
2024 09:11PM
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[I just realized that Shiv Arqua and Ky
Tung both mention serving in the Selby Fleet during the
annexation of Komarr - did they ever meet? What influence
did either of them have on the other? (hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It's possible that they did meet, but I haven't made up
any details. So readers are free to speculate
unconstrained by canon.
Lois McMaster
BujoldI
had several offers earlier in my career for shopping
out my work, and in all cases the answer was a hard no.
I don't work all that well or happily with others, and
the idea of some sort of publisher-arranged literary
marriage to do so makes me shudder. My writing is the
one thing in my life that has been entirely
mine. It took me quite a long time to realize
there was a lesson embedded in this.
That leaves aside the fact that riding herd on a
collaboration takes just as much time, attention, and
work as writing on one's own, if not more. For the same
internal costs, I'd rather be writing my own stories.
Or, y'know, sitting and looking at a lake.
The cores of all my stories are some sort of inner
spiritual journey the characters take, that both they
and I discover as I write. This generates all other
aspects as I go, in real-time as it were. Not the sort
of thing one could put in a setting-and-plot-centered
static story-bible.
I've been self-described as semi-retired for about 9
years now, but what I've mostly retired from is PR,
public speaking and conventions and their attendant
travel, and other pro-paper-publishing contract and
deadline stresses. If you don't count Gentleman Jole
and the Red Queen, which was something of a
transitional book, I've written and self e-published 14
novellas and a novel since then (plus a nonfiction work
of family history), so I don't think you can count my
semi-retirement as my signal going dark just yet. I've
just tried to eliminate all the parts except the
writing, and readers. (Well, and tax-record keeping,
which will extend beyond the grave.)
A work of mine, once started, demands its own
completion. Ideas that grip me are slower to come, but
I don't need all that many, really.
I'm not sure what will happen with further Penric
collections. Sales started out well with the first
volume, but the second was released May 2020 when all
the bookstores were closing for Covid. The few sales
figures I've seen for the 3rd volume did not look good.
The mass market paperbacks of the first two are out of
print, as is the hardcover of the third. It's kinda
hard to build sales when there are no copies to sell.
So while it's not ruled out, I'm not at all sure Baen
could make a fourth collection work well for them. Eh,
time will tell.
Ebooks, happily, avoid all these difficult market
constraints.
This
question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Dear Ms. McMaster-Bujold:
I love the World of the Five Gods, and Paladin of Souls
is one of the best books I've ever read. Although it has
a very satisfying ending, I love the characters and would
love to read more about what happened after. What
challenges did Ista face, what was her legacy? What
happened with Foix's bear? Did Liss stay, or go back to
being a courier?
Is there any hope of more?
Thank you! (hide
spoiler)]
I don't expect to write any more about those characters
at this time. Ista, escorted by Illvin, had a lot of
demons to eat for a while in the wake of the curse.
When that tailed off, I fancy they had surprise
menopause twin girls. In honor of their mutual god,
they did not marry. I picture them living in a sunny
villa by the sea. Caz would be a welcome visitor, but
not linger due to the location.
Foix manages to connect with whatever sorcerer training
is going down in his region at that time, somewhat
behind the rest of the continent due to the religious
wars. So he keeps his bear-demon. He's not entirely
thrilled with being a learned divine, but what can you
do. I picture him retaining his romantic connection
with Liss, in some form. If she has kids, that would be
the end of her courier career as a rider, though she
might go on as a post supervisor. Or better, remain in
Ista's household train, where her opportunities would
be wider and weirder.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I've never formally apportioned those names. So a Selig
(or someone named after the first Selig) is possible
for Piotr's father's name. Or it could be something
else.
Yes, Piotr's Da did die during the Cetagandan war, just
when unspecified, making Piotr the young count and...
well, general he earned, or took, on his own. Not later
than the bombing of Vorkosigan Vashnoi, a late-war
event, though it could have been earlier. If in the
bombing, one wonders how any bodies were retrieved for
burial -- or perhaps reburial -- at Surleau.
(The Cetagandan occupation started about 15 years after
the end of the ToI, therefore ending about 35 years
after the end of the ToI.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Your web search is exactly right, actually. The line
was inspired by the poem.
The intent in the story was to evoke the sense, in the
reader, of more magical culture than was actually shown
on-page. No, it was not developed more deeply than that
in my head.
SableswordI'm
waiting for Kobo to bring it out. I find Kindle
obnoxious to use and have stopped buying ebooks
from Amazon.I'm waiting for Kobo to bring it
out. I find Kindle obnoxious to use and have
stopped buying ebooks from Amazon....more Jul 03,
2024 07:29PM ·
flag
CelticThanks.
Such a treat to be able to read the book
immediately you discover it's been published.
What a pleasure it is to spend some more time
with PenThanks. Such a treat to be able to
read the book immediately you discover it's been
published. What a pleasure it is to spend some
more time with Pen and Des, albeit briefly - as
ever.
"But pleasures are like poppies spread,
You seize the flower, its bloom is shed;
Or like the snow falls in the river,
A moment white—then melts for ever".
Though give it some time and I will reread with
equal pleasure. :)...more Jul 11,
2024 01:44AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, though I've read a handful of others on the topic.
Always fascinating. With pop sci, I've come to realize,
any book more than 10 years old will be out of date;
with bio sci, make that ten months.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The prime minister is joking about Aral's frequently
tipping (and righting, I must add) his sailboat,
primarily due to Aral's habit of pushing the envelope
to get just that bit more of speed out of it. Sur
l'eau, in its not-Barrayaran-corrupted French, meaning
"on the water", and "sous l'eau" meaning "under the
water. It is NOT a pun on "souse", nor a reference to
his also-at-this-time habit of inebriation. However
much the latter might be a contributing factor to the
former not stated; although if he's feeling well enough
to take the boat out it's probably not a bad day.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Since I'd met several of my colleagues along the way at
cons and such, I didn't find the range of answers
surprising, no. I was a little startled at how much
Cory Doctorow and I were on the same page about not
trusting SF writers, or writing, with real-world
decisions. In almost the same words, though mine were
do-not-quote.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I have a hot-cold, not quite love-hate, relationship
with all my stories in the course of writing them,
depending mainly on whether things are going smoothly
or I'm stuck, sometimes for weeks. Now that I'm
semi-retired and writing without contracts and
deadlines, the latter is much less stressful.
If I like it enough to finish, I like it enough to
publish.
Public reception is always wildly varied -- you can
check out my one- and five-star reviews for the same
stories right here on Goodreads. So there really isn't
any "not expected". I just hope my tales will find
their audiences, and sell well-enough, as they have so
far.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
What an odd question. I don't think you can have read
my stories yet.
The short answer is No. More specifically, I do not
write stories to explore issues, especially
contemporary aka ephemeral ones. I write to explore
characters. Various readers, at various times, have
read their social or political concerns into the tales,
variously; but this is more a measure of the reader
than the story. (Studying reader responses to the same
story over, say, four 10-year intervals will illustrate
this nicely. For especial interest, reduce the variable
array by one more and look at the same reader's
readings over 4 decades.)
Jonathan
PalfreyLois
Bujold: “There are plenty of F&SF stories set
in our world but with That One Difference…”
Yes, good point. For example, in Ben
Aaronovitch’s booksLois Bujold: “There are plenty of
F&SF stories set in our world but with That
One Difference…”
Yes, good point. For example, in Ben
Aaronovitch’s books, in which social issues from
our world are somewhat present, although I think
political issues are kept firmly in the
background. I don’t mind, because he seems to
incorporate social issues in a natural way and
without overemphasis....more Jul 18,
2024 12:55PM
MarthaI know we
all used "I didn't vote for him" a few years
back, and unfortunately may need to do so again,
but that doesn't mean the line when written
waI know we all used "I didn't
vote for him" a few years back, and unfortunately
may need to do so again, but that doesn't mean
the line when written was intended as
contemporary political commentary. :)...more Jul 19,
2024 07:59AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I've never worked out those details. The sigil of the
Lady of Spring is doubtless something floral. Note that
different countries and regions can have different
ones, if sharing the general theme, not to mention
natural variations in a world where everything is
hand-made and nothing is mass produced.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not that I know of. There have been discussions that
went nowhere.
It all goes through my media rights agent, who doesn't
trouble me with mere inquiries, at my request. If it
ever goes to a serious offer from some company actually
capable of producing a show, I'll hear about it.
Some few are interested. Vanishingly few are both
interested and capable, as nearly as I can tell.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yeah, the SubPress editions are designed to be
collectable, not affordable. They used to have a 2-tier
system, with a lower-ish priced hardcover and the
signed leatherbounds at two different prices. Both
still only the one printing, though, as limited is
their shtick. But they had to re-tool to survive Covid,
alas, so now just the one signed edition. (Which is
plenty from my point of view, as I have to sign the
1300 tip sheets.)
I figured our e-editions for (very!) affordable, and
Blackstone's audio downloads are also very
reasonable.
Not sure what's going on with Baen these days. The
first Penric collection, Penric's Progress, came
out in January 2020 and did well, but the second,
Penric's Travels came out in May 2020 when all
the bookstores were closing for Covid, and so suffered
in sales. It's hard to tell how the somewhat more
recent 3rd, Penric's Labors has done, as paper
royalties run so very late.
If bookstores are still "ordering to the net", I don't
see how the series could recover. Ordering to the net
is an old bookstore practice where stores and chains
would figure an estimate of sales for book #1, order
that number plus a slight overage; for book#2, they'd
order as many as sold the first round, which would
always be less, and so on down the line until
book#whatever was extinguished altogether. It takes a
series much luck to overcome this natural damping-out.
(Or so Jim Baen once explained to me, assuming it
wasn't a "but so it's not our fault" spiel, which
publishers are prone to when trying to calm
writers.)
Amazon lists the hardcover of PP still available, mass
market paperback out of print, Travels ditto; Labors is
the reverse, hardcover is out of print/sold out, mass
market still available. I'm not quite sure how to read
the entrails of this, other than Labors probably had a
smaller initial hc print run, see above. And Baen
hasn't chosen to reprint the mmpbs of the first two.
Which suggests they calculate it wouldn't be
profitable. One can't ask one's publisher to
lose money on one's book, after all.
(Frustrating for readers who want a uniform collection
for their shelves, though.)
For foreign rights submissions we did devise a 4th
collection, which we called Penric's Intrigues
and contained the novel The Assassins of
Thasalon and the novella "Knot of Shadows", which
made up about the same word count as the prior volumes.
I'd need one more novella to make up a 5th volume at
this point (2024). No promises...
Blackstone, not me, hires their narrators; Grover came
in on the tide from my point of view, although my
literary agent knew and loved his work and was very
pleased when he was assigned to my books.
We had a couple of direct contacts on pronunciation, a
few times.
I did have input on picking the narrator for "Knife
Children", because I wanted a male voice for Barr that
was distinct from the female who'd done the tetralogy.
Of the 3 or 4 audio samples Blackstone sent me, he
seemed the one who best understood the dry humor of the
tale.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I've never been to Mears Park, despite proximity, so,
no direct inspiration there. But as Cordelia remarks
somewhere, nothing makes a city so civil as an
injection of country, so good for St. Paul.
Hugo's may possibly be closer and have more titles, but
you can check websites or call in advance if you are
after something specifically. Hugo's also does
mysteries, Dreamhaven also does comics. Both are worth
visits.
You could probably go ahead with Cotillion. Note
it does not have an action or mystery plot, being
mostly a frothy romp. (Not that it doesn't have plots,
plotting, and plotters, but they revolve around the
romance/s.)
Howard
BrazeeI don't
see Cordelia wearing those tall heels.I don't see Cordelia wearing those
tall heels....more Sep 05,
2024 10:02AM ·
flag
JanIf she
were 5'2", Cordelia might. And I can certainly
see her wearing the sneakers that Harris
favors.If she were 5'2", Cordelia might.
And I can certainly see her wearing the sneakers
that Harris favors....more Sep 07,
2024 05:31AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, sorry. I've found it easier to refuse all blurb
requests than to try to figure out how to triage
them.
For your consolation, major or minor makes no
difference. Speaking only for myself as a book
consumer, I've never bought a book due to a blurb in my
life, so I'm dubious of the utility of the custom.
(Online reviews, mm, now and then, though.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It's been over 20 years since I wrote that throw-away
line, and I have no memory of what was in my head at
the time. As it does seem to have been done with the
direct hand of the white god, it's possible the miracle
could have gone either way, the demon passed along to
another sorcerer or directly reabsorbed into the god.
My feel of L.'s regret in that passage implies that
reabsorbed was meant at the time; that Leuko had
somehow ruined his demon-gift. But if a reader wants to
picture something else, it seems text does not
forbid.
I will guess you already know about the sequel novella
"Knife Children" -- if not, it is readily available at
all our ebook and audio vendors. I have not, at this
time, thought of doing more with the tale.
Lois McMaster
BujoldNope. I just sat down and started
trying to write pay copy, i.e. my own stories. Took a
while to get it any good, of course.
I have a weird stubborn aversion to writing things I
don't choose for myself. Early attempts were very
uncomfortable. I started avoiding such tasks as soon as
I could.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
My own early breaking-in experience is too far out of
date for today's newbie book market; too much has
changed.
The one thing that has not changed is that one must
write a book appealing enough for readers to recommend
to each other; and then, write some more just as
good. Single books tend to sink, but a grouping can
make a cross-supporting raft to hold each other up.
This doesn't have to be a series; author's name is
usually enough of a link. But you can't afford to chuck
out hasty duds just to have another title out, as they
will provide drag not lift on the whole. "Each one
better than all the others" is the unattainable ideal.
(Why, yes, this market demand does make writers crazy,
why do you ask...?)
Any commenters who have had more recent experience
launching books are invited to chime in below. What
worked/didn't work for you all?
Jonathan
PalfreyWhat I
see are two right hands, so surely two different
people. The text below says “No hands but ours”,
referring to more than one person. Oct 17,
2024 08:28AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
SubPress's publishing schedule is often subject to
slippage, being a small company. January was an early
guesstimate, evidently now obsoleted. I see their
website says "Spring", so Spring it is.
The relation between Cordonah and Fell, when last seen,
is much as ever, uneasy neighbors with occasional
alliances (or rivalries) of some current interest.
Rish and Tej's game of Great Houses is, of course,
inspired by Monopoly, a board game of my childhood in
the 50s I used to play with my older brothers. Updated,
because this is SF of a sort.
I do not posit Des will be able to create physical
immortality; Pen will continue to age, but very slowly.
How long, well, it's magic. I can decide as I
wish. And yes, the "outliving" problem will be real.
Puts me in mind of Illyan and his memory chip, how what
seems an enviable miracle when young can become an
unbearable burden with time.
Harder for me is to come up with new, magical or
magic-adjacent adventures for Pen that are different
from, at present, 13 others. That's more likely to,
though not kill him, bring him to an end. Though Conan
Doyle managed 54 stories and 4 novels for his fellow,
so, there's precedent.
I'm in no rush to get through Pen's life; I've only
just got him up to about the age I first envisioned
him. I'm pretty sure he'll outlive me -- but so, I
hope, will all the rest of my creations.
J CMy
headcanon on this is based on the scene in
Paladin of Souls where dy Cabon describes how a
dying person with strong will can take a demon
with themMy headcanon on this is based on
the scene in Paladin of Souls where dy Cabon
describes how a dying person with strong will can
take a demon with them on their way out, and the
description of how the Great Souled Man freely
shared his soul with a demon ... anyway, it's my
headcanon that, when Pen dies, Des can choose to
stay entwined with Pen's soul as he crosses into
the Astral Plane [sorry for corny phrasing], and
that the Gods allow and approve of this because
the soul-stuff is love and the demon-stuff is
chaos, not anti-love. I think he would give some
of his soul-stuff so that she would be able to
have a soul of her own, if that makes sense? A
demon is surely more than the sum of the 14
imprints, is it not? So, anyway, if death could
be considered a "happily ever after" in my head
she's gonna have one....more Mar 01,
2025 06:31PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I had a very nice day, thank you! A quiet morning
fielding birthday greetings, a pleasant evening sharing
Asian media with my media-watching friend. And pizza,
that I didn't have to make.
BrzkCome on,
where is the card from the Russian Fans
!?!!?!
I am aware that I demand Lois entertain me yet
again, and on Her Birthday on top... but you
knoCome on, where is the card
from the Russian Fans !?!!?!
I am aware that I demand Lois entertain me yet
again, and on Her Birthday on top... but you know
how it is.
Also, I am traumatized from the geopolitical
climate and need coddling....more Nov 07,
2024 06:27AM ·
flag
BrzkBy.
Traumatized by. Nov 07,
2024 06:29AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I can't imagine bowdlerizing my own work. I'm also not
sure what it is you'd want left out -- sexual
situations, I assume, but since the tale starts
with an unplanned pregnancy and miscarriage, and since
Fawn's (and Dag's) recovery and healing with each other
very much includes sexual and emotional elements that
take place in the few intimate scenes, that would sort
of rip the center out of key themes.
You don't say how old your kid is. The books were never
written for a grade-school audience -- high school and
up, if anyone'd ever asked me. Mastering, or at least
getting an initial grip on, adult sexuality is part of
the work of adolescence, as is (initial) identity
formation, so those parts of Fawn's journey are very
pertinent to that age group. (I remember,
doesn't anyone else...?)
Anyway, good for you as a parent reading to your kid,
and taking your own responsibility for filtering.
Chris
PhoenixI was
counting the pregnancy and miscarriage as PG, and
I wasn't even thinking about leaving out the
emotions. It's basically just the orgasms and
tecI was counting the pregnancy and
miscarriage as PG, and I wasn't even thinking
about leaving out the emotions. It's basically
just the orgasms and techniques that I don't want
to read to her (and the explicit parts of the
bandit's assault on Fawn), but I'm not a skilled
enough reader/editor to do the emotions justice
while carefully skipping or replacing half the
text for several pages.
She's several years younger than your target
audience, but she reads at a high school level. I
read her most of _Watership Down_ at age 3-4 and
she understood a lot of it. And I've recently
read her most of Pen and Des - I had to explain
what "crab lice" were, but she enjoyed the humor
of Adelis being way too protective of the
sensibilities of an army widow.
Thinking about it more, I guess pregnancy
wouldn't count as PG in some parts of the US -
though that seems silly to me. She loves the
Snake Discovery channel on YouTube, much of which
is about breeding snakes. They keep it G-rated,
but she's familiar with the genetics of
pregnancy, and that it takes two. So the fact
that Sunny got Fawn pregnant wouldn't be
problematic.
I guess it was kind of a silly request - I'll
just do my best to convey as much of the books as
possible. (BTW I'm also reading her several of T.
Kingfisher's books, and talking about others. And
she drew a connection between Kingfisher's
demons, your demons - and the Hiver from Tiffany
Aching, which I hadn't noticed but I thought was
pretty cool when she pointed it out.)...more Nov 24,
2024 01:36AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Good question, to which I have no specific answer. At
this point, not only would many people Pen knew have
died, other new ones would have been born -- he does
have a number of nieces and nephews he's never met. So
not only has he changed, which he well knows, but the
place would have too, which might take him more by
surprise. Exactly how much would depend on when and why
this scenario took place.
We know Pen corresponds with distant professional
colleagues and friends. At least at first, I expect Pen
did keep up some sort of contact with his family,
whatever the 5GU equivalent of the family Christmas
letter perhaps. Less often as he moved farther away in
space and time. He mostly doesn't try to explain his
own job to them. If he did go back, he'd likely feel
very displaced, and they wouldn't understand him much.
Re: his own family, there'd be a language barrier
between them and the Canton in-laws and cousins, though
Otta might retain a smattering of Wealdean.
Take aways, hm. Certainly I was impressed again with
what a wide geographic and generational range of
readers find and enjoy my books, over what seems a
heartening stretch of time. (So maybe I won't disappear
after my decade, whichever decade one supposes it to
be.) Also, what I have also learned from years of
reading reviews, that any reader's reaction to a work
will tell you more about them than it does about the
work. Very transactional, that.
(Also, that unicorns are not the only vain beasts that
may be ensnared with mirrors. Writers, too...)
Don't overlook the appended Discord chat group, for
folks who want to continue the discussions. I believe
the directions for accessing it may be found on the
Plot Trysts site. (Or readers who have succeeded could
chime in with directions in the comments here.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I have, at the moment, no ideas in that direction. If
something seized me, there is no impediment, but my
semi-retired energy level is more suited to novellas at
present.
Back when I was living from contract to contract (which
is like paycheck to paycheck, but with a longer
timeline) I didn't have time or energy to divert for
the lower-paying short work. So getting to explore the
length has been something of a treat for me.
(At least there is one novel-length Penric -- The
Assassins of Thasalon, if you've made it that far
in the series -- but that was an accident. It did start
out to be a novella...)
Jonathan
PalfreyI’m glad
of anything you feel like creating: novels,
novellas, whatever. I find I rather like
novellas; in the old days I didn’t seem to come
across mI’m glad of anything you feel like
creating: novels, novellas, whatever. I find I
rather like novellas; in the old days I didn’t
seem to come across many of them, and they tended
to be tossed into a volume with a bunch of short
stories. But these days they seem more common and
can be sold as separate e-books, which is
nice.
(Though I also comment that quite a few stories
sold as novels in the old days would probably be
counted novellas these days.)...more Nov 15,
2024 09:47AM
Yep, this is a market-driven, or perhaps
technology-driven, change. Back in the day, there
was little room for novellas in the few
paper@ Jonathan --
Yep, this is a market-driven, or perhaps
technology-driven, change. Back in the day, there
was little room for novellas in the few paper
magazines, and they could not be marketed as
full-sized books. E-publishing has changed both
constraints. Commerce and art, a perpetual
symbiosis...
NathanThanks
for your reply! Like the other guy said, whatever
you want to create is more than good enough.
You’ve definitely earned your right to kick
backThanks for your reply! Like the
other guy said, whatever you want to create is
more than good enough. You’ve definitely earned
your right to kick back and relax after creating
the massive oeuvre you have! I didn’t realize
that Assassins was a full length so that’s
something to look forward too :) But I’m loving
the shorter-form Penric stories just as
much....more Nov 18,
2024 09:58AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This is a temporary glitch. Gentleman Jole and the
Red Queen, Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, and
Cryoburn have all run to the ends of their terms
of license, so I took back the e-rights. The old Baen
editions are being replaced with my Spectrum indie
reissues (can't call them reprints in pixels, I guess)
same as the international/UK versions we've had up for
a while.
I'm not sure how long the process will take -- I should
likely check our other vendors to see what's been
completed.
Lois BujoldFollowing
up... Apple Books, B& N Nook, and Amazon are all
complete. Kobo is complete but their
series/author search is a bit random -- for
example, oFollowing up... Apple Books, B& N
Nook, and Amazon are all complete. Kobo is
complete but their series/author search is a bit
random -- for example, on the "Penric &
Desdemona" list you get "Penric's Fox" twice but
"The Orphans of Raspay" does not show up, though
it's there if you search by title. Generally you
may have to search by the specific title if you
don't see it on a series list.
Google Play Books is still lagging a bit -- I
don't see the last 3 VK titles up yet as ebooks.
But they do have most of them.
And the Blackstone Audio editions are all well
represented.
Hope this helps -- L....more Nov 18,
2024 09:13AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't even know if I'll be alive in 2030 (though I
would hope to be) so I'll be making no promises. Doubly
so as my stories seem to come along to their own
internal rhythms, not to outside stimulus. Even I don't
know what I'm going to be writing next.
But cool about the magazine's anniversary! I didn't
realize that it was extant this long.
I do see Ivan's future career as an ambassador,
following his 20-year hitch. I would expect several
postings over the years, as he trains up, of increasing
importance. Jackson's Whole, maybe not; there is no
government to have an embassy to. Jackson's
Whole needs an active and alert ImpSec
department, which it has got, lately augmented by
Byerly.
I'd imagine JW has an array of small Barrayaran
consulates, one at each major jump-point station, that
serve both commercial needs and intelligence ones.
Since Barrayar is generally more interested in
monitoring traffic through the Whole's local space than
downside. ImpSec work downside is ad hoc, as need
arises.
SandyI imagine
Ivan would be passionately adverse to any job on
Jackson's Whole. I could see him having his hands
full when his kids are teens though. PartI imagine Ivan would be
passionately adverse to any job on Jackson's
Whole. I could see him having his hands full when
his kids are teens though. Particularly when one
or more invariable feels Ivan's idea of safe
peaceful bliss is hopelessly boring and they have
a conscious or unconscious drive to liven things
up. His kid(s) could then learn Da isn't as
unaccustomed to or unequipped for drama as they
imagined. That turn, from kids seeing their
parent's as only parents, to realizing they are
full human beings, who existed long before they
became parents as potentially many other things,
is always an event, and sometimes also
eventful....more Dec 09,
2024 04:56AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Thank you! And, even better, you have a lot more
stories to go. Welcome!
(Note for general reference, my surname is Bujold, not
McMaster Bujold. McMaster is my maiden name which I use
as a middle name. This only matters because when
searching by author my books are/should be filed under
"B" not "M", and I wouldn't want readers to not be able
to find them.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't know where you might have run across this, but
what I was actually thinking was that I somewhat
regretted not making the tale dual viewpoint between
Ekaterin and Miles. In the early sections, there wasn't
much for her to do, so it would have seemed unbalanced.
By the end, I realized the viewpoints could have been
balanced not side by side, but end for end, a different
structure, but at that point the book was running late,
and what was going to be Paladin of Souls was
late to start -- long story, but it was how I learned I
couldn't contract and write two books at once, at least
not to two different publishers. (I had actually
started with trying to alternate chapters between the
two projects, got a couple chapters in, and stalled out
painfully on both.) I lost about 9 months to that
mental logjam, plus some concurrent health issues. I
only got unjammed by setting Ista aside.
Present tense, no, that was never contemplated. If I
had done Ekaterin's viewpoint, it would have been tight
third person past tense, just like Miles's.
Also, on a different level, I think Ekaterin and Ista
were competing for creative energy viz women's thematic
issues in some weird way. But even if I'd thought of
this at the time and not after the fact, I would not
have had the will to rip apart a perfectly good book
that was finished for a bunch of changes that
would make no difference to the outcome.
You have so been so generous with your time and
comments that it can be hard to find where a
particular insight or observation was - a
loveThank you!
You have so been so generous with your time and
comments that it can be hard to find where a
particular insight or observation was - a lovely
problem to have!...more Dec 17,
2024 11:16AM ·
flag
All the solstice celebrations in our world's countries
and histories make up a hugely varied range of
activities. Father's Day, winter solstice, in the world
of the five gods should likewise have a lot of regional
and local variation. Because of the god's association
with justice, maturity and aging, and death, I'd expect
it is more solemn than one would guess extrapolating
from, say, the Roman Saturnalia, but then there is that
more fundamental association with male fertility to
leaven things. So the celebrations might be a trifle
schizoid, maybe Father's Day and Father's Night (or
perhaps Father's Day Eve) with the latter more ribald.
Being the commencement of the season, it would run more
to honoring new and young fathers; grandfathers would
go to the last days of the season, just before the
Daughter's Day of spring equinox.
AyI was in
hospital a few years ago, and the audiobooks of
the Penric series were an incredible relief from
what was going on. Dec 24,
2024 06:45PM ·
flag
LucyI just
keep one of your books in my bag at all times. It
is like a comfort blanket. Dec 26,
2024 03:03PM ·
flag
Richard
BootheWhile
recovering from to;tal hip replacement, I read,
in reverse order, all the Pen & Des books, then
the Sharing Knife quatro, then Gentleman
Jole...While recovering from to;tal hip
replacement, I read, in reverse order, all the
Pen & Des books, then the Sharing Knife quatro,
then Gentleman Jole... back to Komarr.
Interesting to see a writer's evolultion in
reverse perspective....more Apr 08,
2025 08:28PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
For all such private inquiries that require a private
answer, please contact me through the Goodreads
messaging system, to be found under the little envelope
icon at the top right of one's screen.
I believe one must have "friended" someone to use it,
which is easy with me because I automatically friend
anyone who asks, who appears to be a normal reader.
Anyone who has had more experience using this
not-intuitively-obvious system, please chime in below
with further instructions.
I sympathize with the frustration at trying to use
Goodreads to contact someone, but the "Ask the Author"
column can only show public replies.
Melody
FriedenthalTried to
use that utility, as you requested, but the form
is not finding your name to send my message to.
Help! Sould I be entering you whole name?
ATried to use that utility,
as you requested, but the form is not finding
your name to send my message to. Help! Sould I be
entering you whole name? A nickname? A name
preceeded by some symbol to indicate you're an
author????...more Dec 27,
2024 11:55AM ·
flag
Lois BujoldI
see by my inbox you did finally manage -- what
was the trick?
Lois McMaster
BujoldIf
the 5-gods world were our own (which it's not) The
Hallowed Hunt would be about 1200, Penric around 1350,
and the Curse of Chalion around 1475.
I am not in favor of opening the series to another
author (and Baen did ask, back in the day.) The
universe may feel sharable to you (and to many
fanficcers, bless 'em) but not to me; I build it
backwards, starting with the characters and their story
and building the world around them as they progress
through it, a looping process with lots of flux. By
which time there's not much left for anyone else to
do.
(The advantage of free-range fanfic is that I don't
have to ride herd on it, and they can have all
the choices, not just my by-definition-canonical one,
without impinging on my own work, time, or
attention.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Though the 5 gods (or 4 gods and a demon-god) are real
and universal, the religion is not a universal church,
like medieval Catholicism (wanted to be); no
pope-equivalent. Each country or realm or region has
its own temple administration, practices, and history.
And local temple architecture.
For the Ibran peninsula specifically, the
4-lobed-or-walled temple plus tower is an historical
artifact of the religious-flavored wars washing
repeatedly back and forth over the landscape. It's
easier and cheaper to deconsecrate and reconsecrate a
freestanding tower than to repeatedly tear down and
rebuild a whole building every time the rulers change
over.
5-sided buildings are also an artifact of building
smaller structures in lighter timber. Heavier, larger
stone and concrete needs the balance of matching sides
to share the higher loads, or so my dim understanding
of such building processes go. (Which gives me another
chance to plug the excellent Great Course taught by
Stephen Ressler, Understanding Greek and Roman
Technology, to be found on the Great Courses Plus
streaming site and elsewhere -- I believe Amazon Prime
carries some of their titles.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Text says, somewhere, that the front man for the
investigation is Count Henri Vorvolk. I (and Illyan)
think he was probably manipulated by some unnamed
persons out to get Aral, as usual, through Miles.
Possibly opposition in the Council of Counts, but it
might more likely have been some men in the Council of
Ministers for a change, who also have occasion to clash
with Prime Minister Aral, and less access to Miles's
backstory than Henri, but with access to Imperial
budgets. The financial questions are in fact
reasonable, if one cannot be apprised of how
unreasonable Miles's deeply classified missions can
get.
Your metal picture of House Cordonah's main upside
space facility seems within spec. It may not, per se,
be orbiting the planet, but is instead at/near/guarding
one of the 5 wormholes, and handling direct
wormhole-to-wormhole traffic. In which case there would
certainly have to be a sister station in orbit for
transfers of goods and people downside. Note that's not
the totality of their holdings; they include downside
support bases and properties as well. I doubt anyone
but the most upper management has any say in how the
House is run. Certainly not the
denizens/peons/grubbers. ("Voting shares" are a
Komarran custom.)
I have not so far had to work out the exact mechanics
of my wormholes, so I haven't. (I trust you realize
they are fundamentally bogus physics?) But if they
don't move with the gravitational systems they are
near, it would have jump-point to jump-point
travel-duration effects over time. At the speeds my
ships move, such shifting may be just folded in for
day-to-day needs, but for century to century matters,
it could add up to a problem. The navigational math is
in any case non-trivial, hence Cordelia's former Survey
specialty.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
For more personal messages, there is an in-house email
function to be found under the little envelope icon at
the top right of your screen. How to make it
work is non-obvious -- I only manage to answer mail,
not initiate it. Anyone who can give a quick tutorial
is invited to chime in down in the comments.
This is fine for now, however. Glad you enjoyed my
work, so many years on!
The next logical Vorkosigan book for you would be to
continue in chronological order with The Warrior's
Apprentice. Unless you want to take a break on the
fantasy side with any of the other 2.5 series, Chalion,
Sharing Knife, or Penric. But one nice thing about
books is that they will wait for you.
I think it may be time to repost the reading order
guide, updated with the new Penric stories, and some
second thoughts of mine on the Borders of
Infinity 3-novella collection...
There weren't very many trade paperbacks done in the
first place. My print backlist is presently a pretty
random grab-bag of varied editions and formats --
hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market paperback
-- done over decades by Baen and NESFA Press. A few
titles are still to be found new, most must be grubbed
up from the used book market. Without a new full-length
novel to front it, reprinting the backlist would lose
money for any print publisher attempting it.
I have considered the option of doing indie
print-on-demand editions, like our somewhat
experimental editions of "Knife Children" and The
Spirit Ring, but sales of those have not yet repaid
the efforts to produce them. Spectrum's experienced and
dedicated (in both senses) e-book wrangler left last
year, so it would be a big struggle up a learning curve
to replace her. And there's no way to get such indie
editions into bricks-'n-mortar bookstores. And so it
sits at the moment.
Meanwhile, my e-editions continue to sell and sell, and
Blackstone does a good job marketing their audiobook
editions, so I don't feel "out of print" from this
end.
I was aware of the mid-20th-C. pop-sci theories of
multiple personality disorder viz. The Seven Faces
of Eve, and that the earlier versions were largely
debunked, but the symptoms had been shifted to what is
presently typed "dissociative disorders". A friend (and
test reader) of mine had a version of this, a type of
protective deep
dissociation/code-switching-of-presentation under
stress; some long conversations with her were
enlightening in a more global fashion. She described it
as feeling from the inside not so much as a split or
separation, but a retreat of some aspects of herself
down long dim corridors while other parts took front
and center.
With that frame, and being more than a touch
dissociative myself (it's a pretty writerly thing), the
rest of Mark came from a deep dive into my own head. So
Mark was more generated than constructed, less theory
than data, which may account for his
character-density.
However Mark appeared, he was apparently artistically
convincing enough that a large block quote from
Mirror Dance was used illustratively by a
psychological scholar in an article on the subject in
Chapter 53 of The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and
Psychiatry (2013, Oxford University Press)
"Personal Identity and Identity Disorders" by Stephen
R. L. Clark.
The author footnotes it thus: "...[Mark's] broken
personalities allow him to cope; at once distinct
centres of consciousness and servants of the whole.
Whether there really are such experiences remain
uncertain; at least the story, and its more immediate
and maybe-factual cognates provide metaphors for
living."
How this got past peer review, I do not know... But
certainly one of my more flattering pieces of
reader-response.
Well, you're getting a bit cart-before-horse, here;
first, finish your novel. Plenty of time during
revision-fretting to worry about marketing. (Or,
better, to start your next work. Because if you submit
to a trad publisher you are going to have a lot
of time waiting, months to years, unless turn-around
times have improved since last I heard.)
Traditional publishing contracts will vary from
publisher to publisher and writer to writer, not to
mention agent to agent if you secure one.
Your concern about being free to write other/related
things will depend on your contract. It is usual for
the publisher who has licensed your work to have an
option for a first look at whatever you write next,
with some set time for acceptance/refusal, sometimes
with some specificity -- "next novel-length work",
"next [name genre] novel, "next [work in this series]",
if it is one. This can also vary by "next completed
work", "next partial", "next proposal" with the sunk
time-cost risk for the writer going down in steps. Some
publishers will secure their interest by offering a
multi-book contract. Whether one finds this a delight
or a daunting will depend on one's own writerly psyche.
And also how far along you are in that next
thingie.
Keep in mind, if they look at and want your next thing,
related or not, you are free to say "no thank you",
though unless things have gone badly you won't want to.
Or them to offer, for that matter. Also, book
publishers are normally only interested in books;
shorter work is commonly considered the writer's own to
do whatever with. If you have a novel under contract,
and put a related short work out in some other venue,
most publishers would regard it as free
advertising.
Licensing a next related novel to some other
publisher, when Publisher #1 has put time and money
into the first, would be a no-no, unless/until the
option work has been submitted and rejected. Then it's
free to market again, or whatever. But that's what the
option clauses cover.
When money changes hands you have stepped out of fanfic
world into profic business world, with all the business
etiquette that this entails.
Something Not To Do is sell your actual copyright, or
license for "term of copyright" which comes to the same
thing. There are rare occasions where the latter may be
justified, but for most novels, not.
A lot more writing and sound business advice may be
found on Patricia C. Wrede's blog "Wrede on Writing";
check the tag at the bottom "the biz".
When I started in the 80s, what is now called
traditional publishing was the only publishing there
was, no modifiers. So a description of that would cover
the bulk of my writing career, which I've discussed at
length elsewhere. When indie epub became an option, I
got into it gradually with e-reprints of older
out-of-print works. The first Penric original indie
novella was an experiment, jumping off from what I'd
learned from the reprints. But certainly part of my
motivation, as I hit retirement age, was to pare back
on the stresses of publicity and promotion on the
writer of traditional publishing. I suspect retirement
is not a present concern of yours, so I don't know as
my experiences there are apropos.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, I've been reading romance off and on since
my twenties, so in over a half-century it's impossible
that I not have sopped up pretty much all of the
tropes, not to mention all the romantic subplots in
other fiction.
Boy Meets Girl (or vice versa) is one of the
biologically fundamental central story patterns, along
with Coming of Age and Justice (or Revenge) Attained.
Another good one is Rescue. And, for a more mature
audience, Redemption. I've played with all of these
basic patterns in all of my fiction, weaving them in
and out as needed by the characters in question.
I suppose my primary romance influences are Georgette
Heyer and Dorothy Sayers. Falling a bit later, well
after my career was launched, (then) contemporaries
Jennifer Cruise, with maybe a side jaunt into the
occasional Jayne Ann Krentz in her assorted pseudonyms.
Austen was a late acquisition, though I had hit
Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre back in, hm,
college? Around then. Well, and all that Shakespeare --
besides live plays and films, I was in an excellent
play-reading group for several years in the 90s, among
other experiences. My later romance reading has been
more diffuse and occasional -- the last few years I
have tried to at least briefly note much of my reading
here in my Goodreads "My Books" section, for the
curious.
But I consider myself a science fiction author, no
modifiers. Or speculative fiction author, to avoid the
awkwardness of shoving in "...and fantasy!" as though
it were some sort of afterthought, which it's not.
Whether to class something as a romance or as some
other genre with a romance subplot depends on where the
spine of the story lies. Where does it begin, where
does it end, what is the point of the story and at what
point is the story told? If the structure starts
with two potential partners meeting, continues through
the stress-testing of their relationship, and ends when
the relationship is successfully confirmed, it's a
romance spine, regardless of what other business makes
up the musculature. So ferex Shards of Honor
qualifies, The Warrior's Apprentice does not.
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance qualifies, The
Vor Game does not. The duology Komarr and
A Civil Campaign is a portmanteau of a dramatic
romance and a full-on romantic comedy. Paladin of
Souls is a redemption story with a lesser romance
subplot. Mirror Dance is a redemption story
flat-out. Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen... is
in a class by itself, as a study of grief and recovery
is wound around an exploration of future reproductive
technologies and the curve balls they could throw.
My SFnal not-quite-joking definition of romance is, "a
story about the promulgation of human evolution through
sexual selection", making all of romance, seen with
that squint, a subset of science fiction. (Yes, yes, I
know perfectly well that not all romances need or even
can end in reproduction. Hijacking the tools that
evolution bequeathed us for purposes of our own
devising is the grandest of human traditions, after
all.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Glad you're still enjoying these works, 20 years
(goodness!) on from their creation.
Tolkien has a remark, in his Foreward to The
Fellowship of the Ring, that has always stuck with
me. To quote the paragraph in full:
"Other arrangements could be devised according to the
tastes or views of those who like allegory or topical
reference. But I cordially dislike allegory in all its
manifestations, and have always done so since I grew
old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much
prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied
applicability to the thought and experience of readers.
I think that many confuse 'applicability' with
'allegory'; but the one resides in the freedom of the
reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the
author."
In The Sharing Knife I was, as usual, exploring
what I construe to be the universals of human nature;
if folks find applicability in them in later times,
well, maybe I got something right. (Possibly even
history.)
That said, I did have unregulated capitalism of the
toxic extractive kind in mind when I created the
malices and their blight. (Well-regulated capitalism,
run by relatively ethical persons and made subordinate
to the needs of the whole fabric of society, being
another matter, no more intrinsically toxic than any
other human association for the purposes of
accomplishing tasks larger than individuals can
manage.) But the way the mindless malices make
destruction automated is certainly a modern
construal, and commentary.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
No, I've neither read the book nor seen the film. There
have, I see, been several media adaptations; I don't
know what year the one you saw originated, but I might
note I wrote Shards of Honor in 1983.
(Mis-attributing influence to works that actually came
later than whatever one is discussing is a pretty
common error, but one that is happily easier to check
nowadays.)
A quick check on Wikipedia finds the original French
novel was published in 1782, so its ideas and tropes
have likely been floating around descendant genres ever
since then, possibly where I absorbed them. Though I
will note that two-and-a-half centuries is plenty of
time for other trope-sources to be created and
disseminated.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yep, I've not only heard of her, I've heard her -- she
was one of the guest hosts discussing Komarr on
the recent Plot Trysts "My Word as Vorkosigan" podcast
series, linked in my blog. Or you can just google Plot
Trysts My Word as Vorkosigan to find it. I've not got
round to reading her work yet, though.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The fictional tech of the Vorkosiverse began with my
first Vorkosigan novel in 1983, when only landlines
existed and the internet was not thought of outside of
DARPA of which few had heard. (Though I put a
modern-style fully commercial internet on Beta Colony
the following year, 1984, when I wrote The Warrior's
Apprentice.) Dial-up modems were beginning in the
mid-80s, upon which iirc one set one's telephone
receiver to connect -- my Dad had an early one, slow,
noisy, and kludgy. So for the following decades
comconsoles were just series consistency. I have
allowed my wristcoms to quietly update, however, from
Dick Tracy's "two-way wrist radios" to in effect
smartphones with 3-D projections.
(Now let's see how many people under 50 know who Dick
Tracy was...)
Matthew
Kilpatrickme, an
under 50 (though not by much) who knows about
Dick Tracy Mar 31,
2025 12:56PM ·
flag
Richard
BootheI
remembere, too. When Diet Smith's Moon Coupe and
gravity-defying carriers showed up, I decided
"Dick Tracy" qualified as SF. Sort of.I remembere, too. When Diet
Smith's Moon Coupe and gravity-defying carriers
showed up, I decided "Dick Tracy" qualified as
SF. Sort of....more Apr 08,
2025 08:01PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, Lazkowski Base was indeed named for George, to his
amusement. Good to know he's remembered fondly. He was
an active fan around central Ohio back when I lived
there. The Lan's Lantern zine used to review some of my
early books, to my benefit, and interviewed me iirc at
least once.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yes, the 5 gods are real and thus everywhere the same.
It does not follow that all human societies understand
or worship them in the same ways. For a better analogy
you may want to think of the variant
theology/theologies more as like science in the era of
phlogiston or the epicycles of the planets or the four
humours: plausible, accounts for the observed facts,
widely accepted, and wrong.
The Old Weald did believe in the 5 gods; they were
fighting more for their culture and, hm, less national
than tribal identities. And territory, of course.
Romans versus Teutons are one example, but even closer
are Carolingians versus the still-pagan tribes to their
east (itself a descendant of the prior conflict.)
Although the Great Four have set gender identities (not
sexes; sexes are a classification of material bodies,
which the gods do not have), I might note that the
fifth god does not, being variously worshiped as male,
female, both, or neither. I can't quite call the
Quadrene beliefs a temporary aberration of theology
with their classification of the Bastard as a demon-god
with the emphasis on the demon part, as that's not
wrong; it's more a sort of theological
nationalism gone rigid and sour. Possibly started with
two theogogue brother divines having an ego-driven
fistfight about it, and spread from there, the way
these things do. (The split between Roman Catholicism
and Greek Orthodox worship circa ~1000 CE being an
instructive historical model; the catch-phrase "it
doesn't matter one iota" comes from that. The real
fight was much less about the minutia of theology, and
much more about Who Is Going To Be In Charge Here, a
clash of some towering egos of the day.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The supervisor of sorcerers in Vilnoc is of
course Penric himself, in an ad hoc fashion. What's
going on in Dogrita is presently undefined and
unexplored. We've met one high-ranking
sorceress/physician from there, Learned Master Ravena,
but whether there's anyone over her other than than the
archdivine him/her self, or how many other sorcerers
there may be in and around the winter capital is also
not yet explored. We know there's enough for Pen to
travel there to teach his experimental medical
techniques to, but that could be as few as two, or as
many as several.
Re: Pen and the next generation, it depends on whether
you mean his influence on his children and students, or
what happens when he (eventually) dies, and Des
attempts to jump to a new person. I am in absolutely no
hurry to address that complex issue!
Children and students are rather more present in Pen's
current time frame. Many possibilities there, too good
to be jumped over.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nope, none whatsoever. Blackstone has been doing a
great job for years at getting all my titles out, both
at online vendors and in libraries.
Narrator's voice and style seem to be a very personal
taste, like cilantro. I hear from plenty of folks who
love Grover Gardner's, a few now and then like you who
bounce off.
I'm not a big audio consumer myself; for whatever
reason spoken prose does not flow seamlessly into
pictures in my head the way written does. It may be a
matter of practice, which may shift as my eyes age, but
since my ears are aging even faster, who knows.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not any time soon, but I have been mulling whether to
set it up as some sort of print-on-demand volume,
probably combined with "Winterfair Gifts", which has no
separate paper volume at all. It would be a fair amount
of work, but do-able.
It was pubbed on paper, back when, in the Baen omnibus
volume Miles in Love, still available variously
used. And also as an ebook, I see.
Ebooks are incredibly easy, once over the first hump. I
hang out in the Amazon ecosystem myself, but other
vendors have similar offerings. Just download the free
Kindle app, which may be found somewhere on their home
page or near it, to whatever device you read on --
laptop, tablet, phone, or desktop -- and you should be
ready to purchase. (Well, there's a credit card
registration in there somewhere, natch.)
I read almost nothing but ebooks these days, due to
eyesight issues. Instant large print!
Lois McMaster
Bujold
As a general answer to a specific question, no, I don't
attempt to handle books sent by readers through the
mail anymore. (So many problems and hassles, including
lost-in-the-mail hazards, etc.) However, anyone who
wants to purchase a signed, personalized copy of any of
my books in print can order them from Uncle Hugo's
Science Fiction Bookstore here in Minneapolis, and they
will be shipped from the store.
AbishekHappened
to see this comment on accident a few days ago
and ordered myself warriors apprentice with your
signature! Thanks for the link! The book
wasHappened to see this comment on
accident a few days ago and ordered myself
warriors apprentice with your signature! Thanks
for the link! The book was beautifully packaged
and arrived great! If you ever do anything with
folio society, I’d love to buy a copy. They have
such pretty hardcovers :)...more Jun 07,
2025 02:50PM ·
flag
For another visual source, the forest green uniforms in
Branagh's Hamlet film are both exactly the right
color and the right Ruritanian mode for some of the
Barrayaran green uniforms, possibly modified by a touch
of Soviet drab.
Clare HoogBarrayaran
uniforms are of course whatever you say they are,
Lois, but on this earth those uniforms with
coloured braid in the photograph are
servantsBarrayaran uniforms are of course
whatever you say they are, Lois, but on this
earth those uniforms with coloured braid in the
photograph are servants' liveries.
I googled for examples and found these very two
on Facebook. The post is by Attire's Mind....more May 20,
2025 10:48AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The first two Koudelka girls, Delia and Martya, were
the luck of the draw, being natural body
conceptions/births. The second two, Olivia and Kareen,
were replicator births and thus sex-chosen, and also
given basic gene-cleaning while they were at it. No
nearsightness or diabetes or genetic cancers for
them...
What was going through the minds of the Koudelka
parents is not specified in text/canon. Possibly they
really liked the little girls they'd got and wanted
more. The option of marrying "up" was I believe
mentioned in text as a hypothesis or discussion, not
confirmed. There would certainly have been
conversations with Cordelia exploring the ramifications
of galactic tech prior to the last two conceptions.
I don't feel the non-existent son's non-life was much
considered in the calculus. Though Kou might have had
covert experienced opinions about the disadvantages of
being a prole male.
The choice of a replicator was enthusiastically
embraced by Drou, as soon as it became
available/affordable to them, after one trial to see
what happens, and a second to confirm that yeah, this
pregnancy/childbirth thing kinda sucks for the mother,
somatically. (Physical fitness being a value for Drou.
And Kou, at a remove, ouch.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Answer presently unknown, to either Pen or Des or their
author. It is possible that if Pen is long-lived
enough, their melding would have effects not feasible
to be seen before in any other shorter-lived
sorcerer-demon pairing. We're talking centuries here,
not mere decades. Which would have other effects on
Pen, over time, as everyone he's ever loved dies before
him...
Or, y'know, it may not be possible, and the extended
life the attempt by them both to stave off that
inevitable end as long as possible, or till they're
both ready to throw in the towel. A certain flavor of
elegiac tragedy either way.
TamaraThis
makes me wonder if having experienced losing a
spouse herself & knowing how hard he took losing
Lewwyn & his mother, Nikys might encourage
Pen+DeThis makes me wonder if having
experienced losing a spouse herself & knowing how
hard he took losing Lewwyn & his mother, Nikys
might encourage Pen+Des to find & take up a
second wife as the Idrene to her Florina with the
issue to be solved being aging rather than
fertility? With the intention being to give
Pen+Des an unbroken chain of loved ones as
something to live (and stay sane) for. Which
brings up the question: what kind of person would
sign up for a dynamic like that?...more May 17,
2025 07:55PM
Conniption
VirtueLife is
going to get odd as Pen & Nikys diverge in
apparent ages. May-December romance is nothing
compared to May-eleven decades ago
December. May 20,
2025 08:52AM
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The only thing of the sort I can think of is the
5-sided seal we used for the Vilnoc Bastard's Order on
the title pages of some of the ebooks and elsewhere.
One paw up and one down, in place of the hands? "No
Paws But Ours" ... Take a look, see what you think.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It is dimly possible that Cordelia's reaction and
Miles's reaction have related underlying genetic
traits, though Miles, as we know, has idiosyncratic
fetal development. Re: the haut ladies, anybody's
guess, though there is the possibility of convergent
evolution. Though they had to start from
somewhere.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Hard to say, between the Barrayarans' aversion to
deformity, and their aversion to genetic
manipulation/mutations. Removing known deleterious
genes, yes, absolutely. Choosing the "best" genes,
probably, though that leads directly into the question,
not often enough asked, best for what? Anything beyond
is an open question, possibly coming down to decisions
by individual parents and their genetic counselors.
A generational drift toward tighter standards seems
likely, but that will take some time and not be very
visible.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
For me, it varies from story to story. Sometimes the
title arises early in the writing process -- "Penric
and the Bandit" actually had its title first. "The
Warrior's Apprentice" came up about Chapter 5, as I
recall, and stuck. Other times, a tale will arrive at
its end with none, or a joke working title -- "Ivan,
His Booke", "Miles to Go", "Cordelia on Sergyar" -- and
I have to flail around, like now, to come up with
anything satisfactory. (I think I've finally settled on
"The Adventure of the Demonic Ox", unless something
obviously better comes along before the cover art and
final edit are done.)
"A Civil Campaign" was another late entry. It went
through its whole composition joke-titled "ImpWed". I
thought I had it nailed when a clever friend suggested
"Rules of Engagement" but it turned out Elizabeth Moon
had a book already in Baen's publishing pipeline with
that title, so it was back to the drawing board. After
some more flailing, I drew inspiration from Heyer's "A
Civil Contract" (which has a nice double meaning for
its book), retooled for Miles's military madness. I'm
actually happier with it now, as no other book has the
same much-used title.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't at this time have an answer to this, and
neither does Pen, which makes him properly cautious. It
is said, obliquely, that abortions for ectopic
pregnancies are allowed to sorcerer-physicians. Similar
medical triage where you can save one person but not
both, likewise, I expect.
When Pen set the harbor on fire in "The Orphans of
Raspay", it is also unknown if anyone died later of
injuries received in the chaos, but it's possible some
did.
The thing about the Bastard's rules, as contrasted
with, probably, the Father's, is that they are not
mathematically certain, but rather are ad hoc
individual judgements, every time and for every case,
which no one who is not an omnisentient god could
possibly duplicate.
It is possible to tell for sure if one has
violated the... guideline, because one will suddenly be
demonless and stripped of one's magical powers. Being
as-it-were pardoned would be harder to tell. I think
one requirement for fault is intent, premeditation;
deaths occasioned by accident, likely not, considering
how accident-prone demon-powered sorcerers are. In your
example, did the hypothetical sorcerer intend
for people to die? Then he will likely shortly be out
of luck (and out of demon.)
Jonathan
PalfreyThanks for
the thoughful reply. It reminds me of the Rivers
of London series, in which there’s a limit to the
amount of magic you can do, but you don’Thanks for the thoughful reply. It
reminds me of the Rivers of London series, in
which there’s a limit to the amount of magic you
can do, but you don’t know what the limit is. If
you exceed the limit, you get brain
damage....more May 31,
2025 12:17AM ·
flag
SandyI always
imagined that the sorcery, in the moment,
connects/links the victim and demon, and if the
victim then dies in that moment the demon is
takenI always imagined that the
sorcery, in the moment, connects/links the victim
and demon, and if the victim then dies in that
moment the demon is taken with their soul because
of that connection. (Like in the sharing knife
with interlocked grounds. Which may likely have
contributed to my interpretation since I read
those before Penric came along) So I always
assumed more indirect acts of sorcery, such as
you describe with a bridge, where the sorcery is
done to the bridge itself and only later people
are killed, would not have the same effect as a
direct, intentional killing because the demon
would not be "connected" or linked to the victim.
I hadn't really thought more about it, so this
was a very interesting question, and great
answer. It's opened an interesting new
perspective for me to ponder over. I will
certainly be thinking about these things on my
future re-reads....more May 31,
2025 07:40AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Interesting thought, and no, I haven't explored the
notion. There might be an uptick in adherents to the
Quadrene heresy...
That said, there is some question if, in a world where
magic demonstrably works, the brainpower might all go
off in pursuit of magic and theology instead of
science. However, since mages are a very limited
resource, there would still be plenty of motivation for
practical labor-saving devices for everyone else. It
would be good to get enough alternate power sources
going to pull the plug on most slavery, to be sure.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Answer unknown at this time. If there is another fate,
it is very rare.
The third method of destruction for a demon is to be
stuck somewhere when their host dies with no other
possible living host within jumping range. In which
case they more-or-less evaporate. (Neither plants nor
insects can support a demon, nor most cold-blooded
animals except the very largest.)
J CAlas for
it is headcanon but I am of the opinion that Pen
will ladle off a portion of his soul so that Des
is composed of soulstuff and demonstuff,
anAlas for it is headcanon but
I am of the opinion that Pen will ladle off a
portion of his soul so that Des is composed of
soulstuff and demonstuff, and so can move on to
an afterlife more fun than oblivion. After all,
that's how the Great Souled Man was able to
ensnare the -- for lack of better term - Demon
King. And for all that it is strongly implied
that the Great Souled Man was the first Sorcerer,
the way dy Cabon tells the story makes it sound
like the demon and the man remained two separate
entities. So, that's how I choose to believe Des
will end her days -- crossing over the rainbow
bridge with Pen hand in hand....more Jun 23,
2025 03:14PM ·
flag
Denise
DykstraAnother
thought - since Des is just the "memories" of her
prior human riders, and THEIR souls were taken up
by their god upon their deaths, is it possAnother thought - since Des is
just the "memories" of her prior human riders,
and THEIR souls were taken up by their god upon
their deaths, is it possible that there would be
some (rare) method of uniting the "future
memories" with those "past souls" of the
components of Des in the afterlife? I think we
all hate thinking about Des evaporating into
chaos when it is her time to go....more Aug 17,
2025 09:58AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
BujoldWhatever philosophical club she
was into on Beta probably bore more resemblance to
Unitarian Universalists than anything else in our
time/place. 40 years of Barrayar seem to have worn it
down a good bit.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not especially; all I had to say in the subject was in
the tetralogy. That said, the Lakewalkers are very much
about group efforts, because the malices are a
multi-generational problem with no certain end. Rather
like wrong in our world, that way.
I have read some interesting musings on the
hydra-headed aspects of well-designed democratic
systems, that they are resilient because they DON'T
depend on single individuals or choke points. There's
always another layer to step up and take over.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Mostly Ezar was concerned over Serg's poor political
nous, on all levels including the personal. "The
personal is political" and all that.
There are quite a lot of rights variously embedded in
the peculiar Barrayaran version of a feudal system,
running in all directions like a network. Since
everyone has some place in the net, at least in theory,
human rights and feudal rights aren't really separable
in this legal conception.
Keep in mind, "rights" are a shared fiction (Terry
Pratchett had some cogent comments on that) which will
last only while enough people with enough power believe
they will, and are willing to work to make it so. In
that, the Barrayaran system is not substantively
different from any other.
Shane
CastleEzar
presents as an almost tragic figure, and that
backstory could have been mined for some
interesting stories. Sometimes I think a peek at
your noteEzar presents as an almost tragic
figure, and that backstory could have been mined
for some interesting stories. Sometimes I think a
peek at your notebooks would be
illuminating....more Jun 21,
2025 09:00PM ·
flag
Lois BujoldA
peek at my notebooks (3-ring, in pencil) would
find a frustrating illegible mess, alas.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The underlying godly reality is real, any flourishes
mainly devoted to status competitions are
human-made.
Yes, people could make all the same kinds of bogus
claims that infest our world. Especially toxic ones
might be stopped by someone. I've had some notions on
that score for Penric's missions, but they haven't gone
anywhere yet. Or, y'know, be stopped by time, of which
the gods have much.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
You know I don't, actually, have a 30-volume set of
The Encyclopedia Barrayarica in my garage,
right...?
That said, ImpSec most likely originates to when the
counts were pared down to bodyguards of 20 armsmen
each, making it much harder for them to make disruptive
local wars on each other, Dorca the Just's great
achievement. The Emperor, natch, with his wider
responsibilities and hazards, needed more than the 20
men due Count Vorbarra, so the seeds of ImpSec likely
started just before the end of the Time of Isolation
when that occurred. Whatever it was then got upwhacked,
along with everything else, by the Cetagandan invasion.
ImpSec proper got its start after the invasion, with
Yuri taking whatever Dorca had left him and expanding
it. More renovations when Ezar took over, and yet more
reform under Aral and Illyan, which the books touch
on.
There is an enormous amount of varied common or
customary law in play all over Barrayar, quite
non-uniform, which I don't often get into because
that's not what my books are about. But just as the
fact that characters eat food implies a working
agriculture somewhere, the fact that Barrayar is not a
dystopian hellscape, but rather a bunch of people
muddling along somehow, implies a working legal system
out there, operating at all required levels. It has
rather more in common with British models than
American, or continental ones that have their roots
ultimately in Roman jurisprudence.
Re: British law, strong book rec: Uncommon Law
by A. P. Herbert, if you can find a copy. It's parody,
but such a close one that many people have mistaken it
for nonfiction.
Jonathan
PalfreyHmph. You
should of course have written the 30-volume set
of The Encyclopædia Barrayarica yourself, in your
spare time. (Just kidding…)
However, you seHmph. You should of course have
written the 30-volume set of The Encyclopædia
Barrayarica yourself, in your spare time. (Just
kidding…)
However, you seem to have a pretty good grip on
the background details, especially considering
that you haven’t continued writing about that
universe in recent years....more Jun 24,
2025 04:13AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Again, I don't actually have a 30-volume edition of
The Encyclopedia Barrayarica in my garage that
would answer this question in the detail it would
require. But both the government/s and the legal
system/s are more complicated that the books can show,
since that's mostly not what they are about; I'm
generally more interested in exploring the impacts of
novel technologies, since they fall on the just and the
unjust alike. That's the sort of thing that really
changes worlds, often in subtle or subliminal or
unnoticed ways that add up chaotically, in both the
mathematical and common senses. Worked example: the
entirety of human history on Old Earth. "Technology
changes the ambit of the possible," would be my most
succinct way of putting it.
I think of technology in the broadest sense, here;
agriculture is a technology; armies are a technology,
and so on. A combination of social organization and
tools, combined to produce novel outcomes.
SandyThis puts
me in mind of things I have noticed in my
genealogical research, such as how what
information is recorded and how, changes over
time. A centThis puts me in mind of things I
have noticed in my genealogical research, such as
how what information is recorded and how, changes
over time. A century ago a musically talented
branch of my family was often noted in their
local newspaper. Snippets of where and for whom
they were performing, who they visited,
accomplishments (such as my grandmother getting
first place in a state wide high school singing
competition) and so forth. They often offer
fascinating glimpses into people's daily lives
with information that a century earlier would
never or rarely get recorded. Then today the
local sections of newspapers are eviscerated and
those types of information are instead shared and
recorded through social medias. But now you can
record reactions to stories as well as the
stories themselves. How many people read about
it, how many commented and what they said, and so
forth. An ever growing fount of information.
Along with that though the digital format is more
malleable, with the potential for things to be
edited and changed over time in ways that
couldn't happen with newspapers. Looking forward
it is interesting to imagine the various ways
information might be recorded. Illyan's chip is
such a great speculation on that. Especially
considering the level of technology that existed
at the time it was first imagined. These days,
with CRISPR and various micro technologies I
wonder if they could really come up with a way to
create a memory cloning technology (And who would
really want it). The brain is so complex, they
would probably have to inject some micro
bot/DNA/virus substance that was attracted to the
electrical impulses in the brain, and would
follow and grow along them in order to clone all
the various 'inputs' and feed that information to
some kind of accessible storage. Illyan's chip
had sight and sound, but not smell for instance.
But what if a programmable virus grew in a
developing brain to create cloned connections to
record memories. Then on the flip side, if such a
viral program could then create new 'bridges' to
help a brain work more efficiently, eliminating
or reducing intellectual disabilities. Ah, this
answer was very thought-provoking. It will take a
while to ponder over it all....more Jun 24,
2025 06:38AM ·
flag
ConnieI
have used newspapers.com to find out more about
my father's family.I have used newspapers.com to find
out more about my father's family....more Jun 24,
2025 11:50AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I don't actually know what she and Jole will finally
decide. I presently see her living actively into her
late 140s, with Jole keeping up, thanks to Mark's
Fountain of Middle Age. Jole, barely managing to keep
his promise, won't be more than a year behind her in
death, though. She will at that point have given 4
decades to Barrayar, but 7 decades to Sergyar. (I do
hope she can get that planet renamed at some point, but
I've no idea to what.) Wherever they end up, it will be
together. I can see them wishing to rejoin Aral, but it
may not be entirely up to them at that point but
rather, to their many descendants. Miles, the other
person who would care the most, will be long gone by
that time.
AliceWait...why
will Miles be long gone? Won't he use the
fountain of middle age, too? Oh no!Wait...why will Miles be long
gone? Won't he use the fountain of middle age,
too? Oh no!...more Jul 18,
2025 06:30PM ·
flag
Federico
BergsteinCordeliayar
or something like that? Naismithyar to honor both
her and her son? Sep 03,
2025 08:15AM ·
flag
This question contains spoilers...(view
spoiler)[Hello, thank you for your books, they
are among my most re-read, which means most loved and
important to me. I've been thinking a lot lately about
Desdemona's fate in the afterlife. It seems she will
dissolve into nothing, which seems like a sundering. I
really want this to not be the case for her. Does the
White God, who is perhaps part demon himself, take back
His creatures whole, if not all the time, sometimes?
(hide
spoiler)]
Demonic dissolution is indeed about the same thing as
sundering, only on fast-forward. Desdemona's ultimate
fate is undetermined at this time, but is certainly one
reason she's trying so hard to keep Pen alive.
One possibility may be that she's reached the maximum
size of demon that any human head can hold, and her
next jump would entail some trimming, mutilation, or
loss, like a human-expanded demon going back into an
animal. It might not be good for the human target,
either. Demons aren't Great Beasts, but one also
remembers the messy fate of Pen's Great Earthworm
experiment. Another is that over some unusually long
sorcerer's life, the human-demon amalgam may undergo
some change-of-state that makes such a, for lack of a
clearer term, soul-upload to the god possible. Des is
in no hurry to test the problem.
BrzkI will
gladly take the time as an option, i.e. the "not
in a hurry to find out just yet". We all seem to
be accumulations of (mostly) our loved
ones.I will gladly take the time as an
option, i.e. the "not in a hurry to find out just
yet". We all seem to be accumulations of (mostly)
our loved ones. If Penric's children perceive
Desdemona as their own, maybe this will open up
even more avenues for her. At the very least, the
number of people who would vouch for Des before
the Bastard is substantial. Maybe, just maybe,
Penric could get rid of Des just in time to live
out his lifetime with Nykis and Des could go on
as a shared blood, history and consciousness
between their descendants. I am not in any need
to find out just yet. Continuation will be a
kindness. But ceasing to exist could be kindness
too, if one is not looking forward to it. Maybe
Des will choose to go back to elemental form
rather than "continuing", even it would be an
option. How much wisdom is bearable upon this
world? What if the Bastard Himself decides to
leave ?!?!??!...more Jul 06,
2025 07:17AM ·
flag
Conniption
VirtueWhat if,
when a demon becomes so large that a human
head/soul can't hold it, that's when the Bastard
takes it back, bringing all that experience
intoWhat if, when a demon becomes so
large that a human head/soul can't hold it,
that's when the Bastard takes it back, bringing
all that experience into the Bastard's knowledge
directly?
So Des wouldn't attenuate to nothing, or get
truncated being shoved into a human that can't
encompass her -- she'd be incorporated into the
Bastard's mind in a very direct and
knowledge-experiencing-continuing manner....more Jul 19,
2025 07:21PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
There are indeed large farmer towns, but not yet up to
the size of what we consider cities. 20k would be at
the top of the range. 10k - 20k, probably several.
Lakewalker encampments have smaller upper limits, due
to food economics, plus the perpetual drain of fielding
patrols, tho' I expect the sessile ones in the south
will be growing beyond that.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I can only definitively answer the last of these --
yes, the gods can communicate with each other.
Doubtless in ways and depths humans can barely
understand.
Technically, what regulates the number of deaths the
gods receive is the number of births. Strict 1:1 ratio,
at all times and in all places. Nothing ever changes
that.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I imagine if one of their Favorites is causing that
much carnage, he will shortly become unfavorite. See:
the eventual fate of the Golden General.
The gods are omnisentient, though perhaps not
omniscient (and certainly not omnipotent) as they are
inside time. There is nothing alive that They do not
know, inside and out, all at once, all the time.
Lois McMaster
BujoldYes, my agent and I have been
trying for years to get that typo corrected. Amazon
Help, which isn't, keeps sending us around in circles.
I can't correct it because I wasn't the
originator-of-record of the placement, and am not
allowed; my agent can't because of some other
argle-barge about content-versus-label, and Amazon
won't, at either of our requests. Very frustrating.
It's strictly a Kindle problem, not any of our other
vendors.
Arni
Vidar BjorgvinssonOh, I
didn't realize it had been like this for so long.
That's just wonderful. Thanks for nothing,
Amazon! :/Oh, I didn't realize it had been
like this for so long. That's just wonderful.
Thanks for nothing, Amazon! :/...more Jul 25,
2025 04:47PM
What had started out as a lesson in counting wooden
blocks with his four-year-old son, Wyn... ...Bored with
counting, Wyn had attempted to build a bridge with the
blocks instead.
Clearly this is foreshadowing (your sign of quality
literature!), but was it on purpose or accidental?
(hide
spoiler)]
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Accidentally on purpose. I can't recall if I'd been
thinking about Wyn's future when I wrote that passage,
but I already had it in mind from very early in my
thoughts about Pen's and Nikys's future children.
Before I had any ideas for Rina, or Otta was even
thought of.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
It varies with the demon. With one that's transferring
from another human, as long as it takes to "put down
roots" in its new host.
With a new elemental, a little can depend on the
intelligence of the animal from which it came, and how
deeply that was imprinted. Weeks or months, typically,
to begin talking, longer to gain fluency.
Atto is a peculiar case, in that it, for all practical
purposes, never had any host but Otta, and so can
hardly be differentiated from her. The two are so
nearly one as to be conjoined. That will of course
change on the next transfer.
Richard
MolpusWith the
number of 'young' Demons that seem to be
collected by Penric/Desdemonia, do any of them
survive into the Chalion/Paladin of Souls
era?
It shouWith the number of 'young' Demons
that seem to be collected by Penric/Desdemonia,
do any of them survive into the Chalion/Paladin
of Souls era?
It should be, at most, six exchanges to span
between Penric and Chalion, right? It'd be nice
to meet Atto, or another of the clique, one
hundred years on......more Aug 17,
2025 11:58AM ·
flag
If this is actually a serious question, you'd do better
to Ask Google. I'm sure you could get about 10,000
answers.
None of which will be "write books good enough that
readers will recommend them to each other", which is
the only way I've found that works over time. (Also the
only way that will continue to work after one is dead,
I reflect.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The Bastard's Hell is simply insta-sundering, a soul
boiled down to chaos, all information lost. Humans for
whom this does not seem revenge enough make up more
artistic interpretations to tell each other, for
consolation or threat, but that's not from the
gods.
The gods are not so much judgmental as choosy. After
all, they are talking these souls up into themselves to
become part of themselves, as a person takes up food.
(Open question how much souls are "digested" over
time... But if one has less than 100 years in the world
of matter, and thousands of years Beyond, it's
inevitable that the latter experience must loom larger
over enough time.)
Think of it as some gods really liking broccoli, but
disliking green beans, so swapping those portions
across the table with their sibling gods.
No god wants to consume actual poison, spoiled or toxic
food. In which case one could also think of the
Bastard's hell as the gods' sanitation department/water
treatment facility. It follows that most souls taken in
the death miracle are such toxic persons. (It's
technically possible for both souls to be
insta-sundered, or rendered, and also for both to be
sorted to gods who want them, but far more often the
supplicant-soul just goes on to unite with the Bastard
like any other of His portion, and the target-soul is
boiled down.) Note that this is not a mechanical
process; you will never get a hard-and-fast rule for
the result in advance, since it will sensitively depend
on, so to speak, the fine grain of the initial
conditions; the hearts of men that only the gods can
see into.
As for "how many", you are asking me to decide how many
people there are or ever have been in this world, and
make a god's eye taste-test of each, which seems too
large as task before my second cup of tea.
(If you are asking "what proportion", the taste-test
problem still applies. But the gods do try not to waste
their food.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This is similar to the question you just asked, but
since Goodreads randomly sorts the Q&A, unless you
select newest-first, I'd better repeat the relevant
parts of the answer here.
To quote myself: "The gods are not so much judgmental
as choosy. After all, they are talking these souls up
into Themselves to become part of Themselves, as a
person takes up food. (Open question how much souls are
"digested" over time... But if one has less than 100
years in the world of matter, and thousands of years
Beyond, it's inevitable that the latter experience must
loom larger over enough time.)
Think of it as some gods really liking broccoli, but
disliking green beans, so swapping those portions
across the table with their sibling gods.
No god wants to consume actual poison, spoiled or toxic
food. In which case one could also think of the
Bastard's hell as the gods' sanitation department/water
treatment facility. ... Note that this [sorting] is not
a mechanical process; you will never get a
hard-and-fast rule for the result in advance, since it
will sensitively depend on, so to speak, the fine grain
of the initial conditions; the hearts of men that only
the gods can see into."
"Punishment" is something humans do, sometimes with
good reason to protect their communities. They project
this style of thinking onto their god/s; possibly
that's where the Father of Winter has acquired His bias
in a more literal fashion.
Which makes the evolution/differentiation of the gods a
somewhat circular process, each self-selecting souls to
become more Themselves over time.
I recently received through my agent a scan of the
cover, which I thought quite good. I figured to post it
on my blog closer to the pub date -- do you know when
that is? With luck all around, the Ukrainian publisher
plans to follow it up with Barrayar.
Promiscuous
BookwormThe
publisher says it should come out in about a
month Aug 14,
2025 08:28AM
GarionRelease
is planned for mid September. Can't wait for my
copy to arrive!
Although, right now all such dates are rather
tentative in Ukraine, since the mRelease is planned for mid
September. Can't wait for my copy to arrive!
Although, right now all such dates are rather
tentative in Ukraine, since the majority of our
printing houses are located in the east, where
they quite often are a target of russian
bombings....more Aug 14,
2025 08:32AM
The demons are a controlled leakage from the Bastard's
hell, or hand, to balance the life in the world between
the cold death of ice (stasis) and the hot death of
fire (chaos.) Too much of either is bad.
The underpinnings of this theology _really_ are not
based upon that of our Earth historical religions, and
trying to draw 1:1 parallels between them will
frequently go awry. (Though given the wild variety of
human-devised religions through history, I am willing
to be better advised.)
All information being lost, the source of one blob of
chaos is not distinguishable from any other blob of
chaos -- soul-plasma as it were, or quark soup.
Entirely interchangeable.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
"Penric and the Demonic Ox" has been offered to
Subterranean for their usual limited edition hardcover;
I'll make a blog post if/when we get a contract. (As of
this moment, August 2025, Blackstone Audio already has
it in their production pipeline, release planned for
October.)
I'm presently considering whether to put the remaining
Pen & Des stories into my own print-on-demand
collections. Much will depend on how the upcoming _Two
Tales_, the little collection of stray Vorkosiverse
novellas, does when we finally get it out via the
Ingram's program, through which we've already done
"Knife Children" and _The Spirit Ring_.
There are doubtless publishers who would take the
remaining potential collections, but apart from the
sales volume problem, they all want e-rights, which I'd
be an economic idiot to give up. I do like the
flexibility of the ala carte e-publication, that make
dropping in prequel tales much less of an issue.
I'm only still mulling about this idea yet, it's
not a live project. (For one thing, I want to see
_Two Tales_ results first, and it's@ Svyatoslav --
I'm only still mulling about this idea yet, it's
not a live project. (For one thing, I want to see
_Two Tales_ results first, and it's not even out
yet.) If we did this, I'd pick up after the Baen
collections. I've already assembled the
compilations for regular foreign rights
submissions, though so far most foreign
publishers have been buying the stories ala
carte.
So far it's _Penric's Intrigues_, containing the
novel-length _The Assassins of Thasalon_ plus
"Knot of Shadows"; and _Penric's Lessons_,
containing "Demon Daughter", "Penric and the
Bandit", and "The Adventure of the Demonic Ox".
Any further volumes would require 3 more
novellas, or some combo of tales adding up to
about the same word count. (And also another
title of the form _Penric's [plural noun].)
Conniption
VirtueSurprise:
I buy BOTH the eBook and the physical Penric
books.
When re-reading, I sometimes want different
experiences; physical goes best with a cup
oSurprise: I buy BOTH the
eBook and the physical Penric books.
When re-reading, I sometimes want different
experiences; physical goes best with a cup of
tea, for example....more Aug 23,
2025 09:14AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, demonic possession is a very old idea, both in
fantasy as a reading genre, and in traditional folklore
and (some) religion. In the World of the Five Gods, I'm
just doing my own very different take upon the idea,
because the underlying theology is so different from
that of historical Europe, or indeed from any other
real-world religion I've yet read about.
I explore my own construction in much greater depth in
the Penric & Desdemona series, starting with the
novella "Penric's Demon", if you've not got to that
yet. (Show don't tell 'n all that.)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
My young-Midwesterner-dragged-to-church background has
been supplemented by a lifetime of assorted reading,
and now online Great Courses. After a whole bunch of
church history from Roman and medieval European times,
a surface acquaintance with Buddhism and Shinto, tiny
bit on Hinduism, Chinese mythology which is in a class
by itself. Ancient Egyptian gets a lot of coverage if
one watches archeology programs. Pre-Christian
Saxon/Germanic religions are, or were, hard to find
much on back when I was researching _The Hallowed
Hunt_; access may have improved since then. Other bits
and bobs along the way.
I've done some reading of the writings of genuine
mystics, most memorably (my memory is a sieve these
days) St. Augustine and Thomas Merton, and a few deep
meditative practices outside of the Christian sphere.
What struck me most was their commonality, as if all
were zeroing in on the same underlying thing, even if
it was just the 60-cycle hum of their own biology.
When first setting up the 5 gods, it was not planned in
advance, but rather, something I felt my way into as I
wrote _The Curse of Chalion_. A few things I figured
out very early on. I wanted a structure that resisted
dualism, the easy good/evil divide that has caused so
much trouble through history. Hence 5, a prime that
can't be evenly divided, though of course humans being
perverse like we are we immediately got dualism again
with the Quadrene heresy.
Lots of fives in biology -- fingers, senses, some
flowers, and on. It's very natural.
Another major initial reversal was that the 5 are not
creator gods, but arise out of the workings of matter
like everything else, a sort of World Overmind. They
are inside time, and they _evolve_. They are thus
neither omniscient nor omnipotent -- but the term
omnisentient seems very apt.
Emergent properties were also much on my mind, talking
of things that resist dualism. The mind-body or
body/spirit problem, and all its logical snarls, drops
away when body and mind are all part of the same thing.
Take the fundamental structure of the universe, from
which emerges physics, from which emerges chemistry,
from which emerges biology, then brains, then
consciousness -- take it up one fantasy step farther,
and you can get plausible gods emerging. Endow them as
well with perfect memories as well as perfect
perceptions of Their pasts, and all pasts, and
something pretty impressive... emerges.
Also, for life after death, the 5 are the only game in
town.
A whole lot of the structural underpinnings of all this
are drawn from biology, if you want another clue card.
Because we are all biological organisms -- another
only-game-in-town.
Many thoughts too on entropy, and how life temporarily
resists it by, as someone put it, "climbing up the mast
of a sinking ship". This comes out most in the
magic.
Also, don't forget Narrative Constraints.
I talk about all this stuff scattered through many many
interviews -- no way to auto-collate, I'm afraid, but
there's this: https://vorkosigan.fandom.com/wiki/Au...
But I will certainly never be writing a textbook on all
this invention -- I'd much rather spend my limited
creative energy writing more fiction. (And I suspect
you'd rather it, too.)
MatthiaI may
prefer to read your fiction than force you to
write a textbook, but I would like _someone_ to
write it. It's _all_ invention. Religion,
languageI may prefer to read your fiction
than force you to write a textbook, but I would
like _someone_ to write it. It's _all_ invention.
Religion, language, commerce, culture, art, and
so on.
What is so remarkable about The Five is your
ability to write how religious practice _feels_.
We read the books and participate in the rituals
to learn about religions. If you want to know a
religion, work in the front office. There, you
get to see the interplay between the
practitioners and the clergy, the fuss from that
one officious volunteer who oppressively cleans,
and the full life cycle of the individuals and
the organization.
Your work captures the beautifully flawed
microcosm of religion, and it is sublime....more Aug 20,
2025 05:57AM ·
flag
New developments are constrained, of course, by not
contradicting prior ones. One way to sneak something
new in might be to set it in a location the stories
have not yet visited, of which there are potentially
many.
I'd really love to have 5-gods-India Temple dancers,
for example, but have never settled where to put an
India analogue. Or a China one. Northern hemisphere,
land mass quite disconnected from the southern
cod-Europe, probably -- I very much fancy a very
off-course and storm battered Chinese Imperial fleet
limping into Visping Harbor about 1491-equivalent.
Extra points if it is commanded by an eunuch admiral.
So much xianxia to steal be inspired by...
5GU Lithuania and points east are another possibility
for interesting local magics. And the steppe lands also
to the east, already established as existing, and
contiguous -- lots of interesting early Church
histories to draw on there, as the Greek church
missionaries penetrated Rus, less well-known than the
war/conquest histories of the region.
Many possibilities, no decisions. A story must pass
through it for a setting to be generated. And I really
can't make up stories in advance of making up
stories.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Making it up as I go, of course. Yes, some Father's
saints are canonically able to detect lies, and some
Mother's saints to do healing. Other abilities not yet
specified. Cazaril, Ista, and Umegat you've met.
Cazaril was a full-on saint of the Daughter of Spring,
with a boost from the Bastard. Note in this world being
a saint, i.e., channeling a god, is a temporary job not
necessarily a permanent identity.
That poor shaman who got buried under the rockfall in
"Penric and the Shaman" was probably as close to being
a saint of the Son of Autumn as it's possible to
get.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I've a notion there are survivors beyond the Great
Blight and whatever lies athwart it, on the west coast.
Some farmer navigator will discover it someday,
circling the south coast. No, I don't know anything
more than that.
The logical options for other continents are: fully
blighted, slowly recovering but unpeopled; partly
blighted, and fighting by some means magically related
to what we've seen; or unblighted or fully cleaned,
peopled, and keeping all other continents in
quarantine. Or, some of each.
(When a malice had fully blighted its bounded region, a
continent at the largest, but also possibly a closed
circle or wall of other blight and, say, seacoast, it
will die of starvation.)
I have a very dim memory of some reference to other
continents on old maps somewhere in the tetralogy, but
I couldn't for the life of me find it now.
SkyI just
reread the series recently and I think one of the
characters mentions the other continents and
speculates that either they're all dead or
they'I just reread the series recently
and I think one of the characters mentions the
other continents and speculates that either
they're all dead or they're fine and the people
there just want nothing to do with them (as you
say here).
By the way, they were excellent books, thank you
for writing them!...more Sep 03,
2025 12:00AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The actual answers to most of your questions are "not
developed yet". Applying a bit of off-the-cuff logic,
it does seem probable that any unhatched malices would
be killed by another's blight. When blight recovers, it
spawns no more malices, so that notion is supported. By
the same logic, the Great Blight would indeed be
malice-free once it recovers, whenever. Not a fast
process.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Nope, had never heard of him. Donna/Dono was invented
out of the needs of a subplot for Ivan, on the spot as
it were. He got a life of his own pretty instantly as I
wrote him.
I had heard of other historical people gender-switching
before then, usually women passing as men to become
soldiers.
ACC was written in 1998, for anyone calibrating
influences.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Not much Napoleon in Miles, no. Initial historical
precedents/inspirations that I can recall were T. E.
Lawrence and young Winston Churchill. And my own
experience with Great Man's Offspring syndrome.
Later, after Miles was launched, people brought my
attention to other quirky short soldiers of history,
including Eugene of Savoy and the very interesting
Homer Lea. (I recommend both to your attention.) But
they were very much after the fact.
Allison
StrandbergThank
you! I'm currently on Robert's Churchill
biography because I enjoyed the Napoleon so much
more than I'd expected (biographies of Great Men
not bThank you! I'm currently on
Robert's Churchill biography because I enjoyed
the Napoleon so much more than I'd expected
(biographies of Great Men not being my usual
fare.) He's a dynamo....more Sep 21,
2025 05:53PM ·
flag
Dennis
(nee) HearonLoved the
series. I am currently urging the much younger
members of my book club to read them. Sep 27,
2025 03:58PM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Heh. Yes, recent covers are an improvement, both from
Subterranean Press and from Ron Miller. Nevertheless,
all the old ones are still following me around, in used
bookstores if nowhere else.
(Quite a few of my old covers were actually good art,
but very ill-served by some obscuring poor cover
design, and/or the fact that they did not convey the
actual content or tone of the story they encased.)
If I had my wish my book covers would all be plain blue
rectangles with title, author's name, and any pertinent
series information, and nothing else. But that seems
not to be the fashion.
Word-of-mouth routes around cover treatment, and I
value it greatly. Keep it up, folks...
Almost all my titles are widely and instantly available
as ebooks and audio downloads, internationally on
Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play Books, Rakuten Kobo,
and (US only) Barnes & Noble's Nook. I don't see how,
if you have enough computer power to be here, you can't
get to them through at least one of these vendor
platforms. I can't speak to the other vendors, but
Amazon gives away their Kindle app as a free download,
in multiple formats for multiple kinds and brands of
devices.
I don't know how to make this any easier.
A paper boxed set seems unlikely. Print-on-demand may
happen someday, although my current two, about to be
three, PoD titles, have been selling in too small of
numbers to make it an obvious thing to try, given the
start-up hassles. For the moment, the ones we have are
through Ingram Spark, which I believe is US-only
(somebody please correct me if I'm wrong about that)
and through Amazon -- I don't know how their PoD
program works internationally. (Have any non-US readers
out there been able to successfully order The Spirit
Ring or "Knife Children" PoDs though this on Amazon
international?)
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Your Penric problem is alas between you and your
budget. I'd point out that they are novellas, not short
stories -- each about a third of an average novel long,
if that helps your calculations. I suppose you could
try the first one, "Penric's Demon", and decide then if
they are worth it. Or pick one up once in a while when
you are having an otherwise too-busy-to-listen-much
month?
The collections, technically, are not mine -- they are
a Baen Books exclusive, and Baen does not have audio
rights to them. So, no to that one.
Re: Audible, you'd have to ask them. I have no idea why
my works were acquired in the order they were, whether
constraints were budget or processing time or someone
purchasing who had no idea what they were. (Wholesale
buyers can't possibly read all the books they acquire
for their employers; they have to use other metrics to
decide.) I don't actually know how Audible's credits or
indeed business generally work, not being an audio
consumer myself.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I do indeed have enough Pen & Des stories for a couple
more paper collections, and have packaged them that way
for foreign sales, though so far the foreign publishers
seem to prefer to buy the novellas ala carte and make
their own assemblages.
The paper-only Baen version started out promising with
sales, then the second volume was released in May 2020
when all the bookstores were closing, and so tanked
through no fault of its own. Third one has not done
well in sales, as far as I can tell from my royalty
reports (which always arrive a year or more out of
date, so, more history than current events.) I don't
think any publisher could make bank with further paper
volumes only, and most won't take paper without
e-rights that that would reduce my income from them by
half. There are scenarios where this would be a good
choice, but I'm not there at this time.
Meanwhile, my ala carte e-editions and audio editions
are selling just fine, and retain more flexibility for
inserting prequels (which I've just again done, with
the coming-very-soon "Testimony of Mute Things".)
So, short answer, no more paper collections are in the
pipeline at this time. They are not ruled out for the
future, but that's not up to just me.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Another question for FanficPerson, I expect.
Personally, I see Jin as a future zookeeper, though
probably a biologist as well. (Think Gerald Durrell,
who was a partial inspiration for the character -- see
his classic memoir My Family & Other Animals.
Which is a great read, btw.) On what planet is an open
question.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
This is a question that only a god can answer, through
inner knowledge unavailable to human perceptions, a
very private transaction between each human and their
chosen or choosing (or rejected or rejecting) deity.
There is no list of rules that one may mechanically
check off to ensure a particular outcome.
Sincere repentance likely does count for something.
(Not everyone, after all, is going to get an extended
lifetime to make amends.) And the god would know
whether or not the person was faking contrition in a
mere self-centered attempt to avoid reprisal.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Armsmen are traditionally proles from the count's own
district, yes. This custom presumably extends back into
and from the Time of Isolation. I expect, as with all
things on Barrayar, there have been exceptions.
Rick EllrodNo harm in
prefab worldbuilding! We've all got to get our
inspiration from somewhere.No harm in prefab worldbuilding!
We've all got to get our inspiration from
somewhere....more Nov 08,
2025 08:42AM
(Padding for effect, I often count my career as
starting in late 1982, when I first started writing
those books that were first published. But nothing says
I can't have two (career) birthdays. Like Miles.)
I fancy that modest sums are forwarded to Pen now and
then. This will get harder to effect the farther he
moves away. Medieval international banking is a
fascinating real-life study. But usually money
transfers came down to finding some hopefully
trustworthy person going that way, giving them the
purse, and hoping they didn't run into disasters along
the route. Erratic method.
One of the interesting anecdotes from my
great-something uncle the ironclad riverboat medic in
the American Civil War was about entrusting his year's
pay to be taken home to New Hampshire by hand, and it
never arriving. I'm not sure what $500 translates to in
today's dollars, but that loss had to have hurt.
(See: The Gerould Family of New Hampshire in the
Civil War: Two Diaries and a Memoir on Kindle.)
Jonathan
PalfreyI tried
to Google the question, and it seems that $500 in
the early 1860s would be worth approximately
$10,000 now. Although I think the calculation
oI tried to Google the
question, and it seems that $500 in the early
1860s would be worth approximately $10,000 now.
Although I think the calculation of inflation
relies on pricing a basket of goods and services.
The contents of the basket are determined
subjectively, and what’s in there will change
gradually over time, so it’s all very inexact.
Common items available today weren’t available at
any price in the 1860s....more Oct 31,
2025 12:02AM ·
flag
My birthday is going pretty well, starting with living
to have it... Otherwise a nice quiet Minnesota fall
day, remote relatives reporting in by phone, my son to
arrive with fancy pizza for dinner in due course. My
best present came a little early, with "Testimony of
Mute Things" topping out in the 80s in the top 100 of
the Kindle store yesterday. (Which commonly happens the
2nd weekend of sales, but still nice.)
Carrot cake and very dark chocolate are my
favorite cakes, though alas my metabolism can't
handle buttercream or other sweet frostings
anymor@ Bzrk --
Carrot cake and very dark chocolate are my
favorite cakes, though alas my metabolism can't
handle buttercream or other sweet frostings
anymore. No-sugar-added whipped cream still
works...
BrzkOh :)
!
Dark chocolate is my favourite too, my metabolism
shifts them to "all the right places" as they
say... directly.
I find that cream cheese frostiOh :) !
Dark chocolate is my favourite too, my metabolism
shifts them to "all the right places" as they
say... directly.
I find that cream cheese frosting works very nice
and is somewhat lighter than buttercream but will
give it a try with a very dark chocolate with
no-sugar-added whipped cream very soon.
Thank you!...more Nov 03,
2025 07:30AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Umegat's first love was indeed horribly executed. Daris
was a later love. Who also ran into grave perils,
presumably on some joint spying mission, possibly
against the Golden General's forces, but at least he
survived. There might have been a heroic or at least
clever rescue by Umegat in there somewhere.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I can now say that there is! Blackstone contract is
supposedly en route, and will get here when it gets
here.
Word is they will try to move production along briskly,
and have Grover Gardner as narrator again. Couple of
months, maybe? Average the lead times of the last three
between epub and audio release, and you can likely get
a good estimate.
AlexOh, good. I
love Gardner's narration.Oh, good. I love Gardner's
narration....more Nov 06,
2025 07:36AM ·
flag
JanetGreat!
These days, I'm buying both the Kindle and the
Audible copies. I love the synchronization
between them.Great! These days, I'm buying both
the Kindle and the Audible copies. I love the
synchronization between them....more Nov 06,
2025 08:20AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Well, I did explicitly give Pen's age -- 27, was it?
Might have been 26. A couple of years before Llewen's
death, and Pen's mother's. He was 30 when he first
reached Cedonia, so must have been ~29 during his year
in Lodi/Adria.
For a few more markers, he was 19 when he contracted
Des, ~22 when he graduated seminary. 23 - 24, for
"Shaman" and "Fox".
Lois BujoldThere is
up to a year's slack in any character's relative
age depending on whether one pictures them born
in January or December, or the local
equivalThere is up to a year's slack in
any character's relative age depending on whether
one pictures them born in January or December, or
the local equivalent. I've not yet needed to
establish Pen' birthday, so approximations
serve.
Jonathan
PalfreyI think
the inaccuracy arises primarily because Pen is
measuring time in approximate years without
counting months or days. When he says, “X years
agoI think the inaccuracy
arises primarily because Pen is measuring time in
approximate years without counting months or
days. When he says, “X years ago”, I suppose he
may be rounding to the nearest year, or rounding
up, or rounding down. Or he may be subtracting
one year from the other without paying any
attention to the months—which I guess is most
likely as it’s the simplest method....more Nov 09,
2025 10:05AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
The foxes in "Penric's Fox" were directly observed and
inspired by the family of foxes who took up residence
under my garden shed for two wonderful springs, to the
great benefit of all my garden plants suddenly not
being chewed down to the roots by rabbits. Six or eight
fuzzy fox cubs tumbling over one another playing out
beside the shed were a dose of cuteness (I will not say
overdose) that had even the neighbors stopping to
watch. I wish the foxes would come back, and the
rabbits be their lunches... Alas, only those two
years.
Something else is under there this year but I haven't
seen what. Suspect it's raccoons, but, despite also
being fun to watch if you catch them in daylight, can
carry distemper or rabies, and leave problematic
droppings.
So, no connection to the Rivers of London, fun reading
though that series is.
Jonathan
PalfreyThanks! I
occasionally saw foxes around my late mother’s
home on the western edge of London. I read that
they’re common in Catalonia, where I live,
buThanks! I occasionally saw
foxes around my late mother’s home on the western
edge of London. I read that they’re common in
Catalonia, where I live, but I don’t think I’ve
seen any here. I’ve occasionally seen wild boar,
which sometimes venture into towns. Several of
them were recently filmed interrupting a game of
football....more Nov 09,
2025 09:25AM ·
flag
Lois McMaster
Bujold
I am not, and never will be, on X. I am only on
Goodreads. That person is a scammer/impersonator.
I am told I can only get them thrown off X if I sign up
myself, which I am not willing to do. I was able to get
one (no telling how many scumbags are doing this)
thrown off Mastodon with the help of a reader
there.
Please tell everyone on X and elsewhere you can reach
that this is an impersonator, and I blog only on
Goodreads.
Lois BujoldAddendum
-- I see the SFWA post has added info about how
to unmask impersonators on X using the
geolocation function. Do check it out if you are
on X/Addendum -- I see the SFWA post
has added info about how to unmask impersonators
on X using the geolocation function. Do check it
out if you are on X/Twitter.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Assuming you are asking about the codicil chapter
"Aftermaths", it was written soon after Shards,
somewhere around or just before the time of starting
The Warrior's Apprentice. (Recall that the first
~ 8 chapters of what later became Barrayar were
written back in 1983 before I broke off and started
writing Warrior's in 1984.)
I was still trying to break in at this time, so sent
the short story around to the then-extant SF magazine
markets, along with a few others I was circulating in
hope, where it did not sell, but got completely
contradictory rejection letters. (A lesson to me it
took a while to figure out.) By the time in late 1985
that the 3 finished novels all sold to Baen, it was
still kicking around unsold.
I forget what phone conversation I was in with Jim Baen
when the discussion came up of what he called his
"paperback magazine", Far Frontiers, monthly
short story collections packaged as and marketed with
Baen's mass market paperback offerings. Anyway, his
idea came up of pubbing the story there a month or two
before Shards was launched, to introduce this
new writer Bujold to his audience. (Jim schemed a lot
about how to launch new writers.) I also don't remember
if it was his idea or mine to append the story to the
novel as an afterword, but anyway, that was when it
joined the text, after the manuscript was sold to Baen
but before the novel was published.
Anyway, good call; I think it strengthened the thematic
weight of the novel ever after, as you experienced.
Christopher
WinterAh, too
bad the drafts are gone...I was hoping for
bootleg outtakes, which are all the rage in music
now (a "Cordelia's Honor" boxset!). Were they
actAh, too bad the drafts are
gone...I was hoping for bootleg outtakes, which
are all the rage in music now (a "Cordelia's
Honor" boxset!). Were they actually thrown away
or simply lost in the vagaries of life?...more Dec 12,
2025 06:27AM ·
flag
Sold, actually, to a collector/dealer back in the
mid-90s... can't remember his name now. ...Goes
and looks it up... Barry R. Levin. I expect
h@ CW --
Sold, actually, to a collector/dealer back in the
mid-90s... can't remember his name now. ...Goes
and looks it up... Barry R. Levin. I expect he's
long gone now. No idea where they went after
that.
All paper material prior to winter of 2013-14
when I last moved went to the U. of Northern
Illinois, who had a collections librarian, Lynn
Thomas, who came and got them in a van, bless
her. More recently I've been shifting my
wastepaper, er, manuscripts, to the U. of
Minnesota, also via a librarian willing to come
get them.
In general, I would not want my old outtakes
brought to light -- there were good reasons some
were deleted.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
As near as I can remember from a thought-stream 42
years ago, I made the term up on the fly for the scene
in Shards of Honor in which the tech first
appears, and Cordelia is explaining it to Aral (and the
reader.) I wanted a term which was not that used in
prior SF works -- Huxley's Brave New World most
obviously, but there were others, including Zelazny's
Lord of Light. (I don't offhand now remember
what terms those authors used in their books without
looking them up.) I wanted my term for it to have an
inherently obvious meaning to the readers, so I didn't
have to spend a lot of time teaching new
pseudo-vocabulary or neologisms.
I didn't at the time push any particular opinion over
which method was "superior" -- a loaded term --
although if one is a human of the female reproductive
persuasion, the advantages and disadvantages become
more obvious the more one thinks about them, which I
did later on. Most immediately in Ethan of
Athos, though also touched on in the ensuing
Falling Free. And then explored further from
time to time throughout the series, all the way up
through Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yeah, lack of a search function here is a trial. I've
sometimes had luck using just plain old Google, plus
enough assorted unique key words. Ferex, if you google
"Was Shards of Honor ever a Star Trek fanfic?" it will
take one to my posted Goodreads Q&A answer
explaining no, not.
Anyway, back to the Five Gods. It was not, alas,
grandiloquent heroism that lost Lewko his demon, it was
overwork, trying to do too hard a job/jobs of uphill
magic too fast until his demon violently rebelled. So,
chaos run amok, but also misjudgment, mismanagement (by
both Lewko and his seniors) and perhaps a touch of
hubris. (Demons are not, generally, into
self-sacrifice.)
The hard-learned humility that followed for Lewko
probably had something to do with his later ability to
channel his god, but I've never worked out the
details.
Lois McMaster
Bujold
Yeah, lack of a search function here is a trial. I've
sometimes had luck using just plain old Google, plus
enough assorted unique key words. Ferex, if you google
"Was Shards of Honor ever a Star Trek fanfic?" it will
take one to my posted Goodreads Q&A answer
explaining no, not.
Anyway, back to the Five Gods. It was not, alas,
grandiloquent heroism that lost Lewko his demon, it was
overwork, trying to do too hard a job/jobs of uphill
magic too fast until his demon violently rebelled. So,
chaos run amok, but also misjudgment, mismanagement (by
both Lewko and his seniors) and perhaps a touch of
hubris. (Demons are not, generally, into
self-sacrifice.)
The hard-learned humility that followed for Lewko
probably had something to do with his later ability to
channel his god, but I've never worked out the
details.
(Actually, winter solstice is just the Father's Day.
Father's Midwinter would be halfway between winter
solstice and spring equinox, i.e., around Groundhog
Day, Feb. 2. Not that the months have to have the same
number of days as in our world, nor the days the exact
time duration... Pretty close though. But any planet
with axial tilt should have seasons, solstices, and
equinoxes, which make them a pretty good universal
fantasy calendar marker.)